Why tax only soft drinks and not snack foods or other junk foods?
A number of states do tax snack foods, and other states and the federal government could do the same. Snacks probably contribute to weight gain, and snack taxes could raise substantial amounts of money. But soft drinks are the only individual food or beverage that has been directly linked to obesity, and soft drink taxes would be easier to collect because of the modest number of manufacturers. Applying a junk food definition to a sales tax could be complex to implement. Q: Why are soft drinks particularly conducive to weight gain? A: Studies show that beverages promote weight gain more than solid foods. When people consume a solid food, they are more likely to compensate and reduce their consumption of other calories.1,2 However, that “compensation” does not occur as much after drinking a caloric beverage, so the calories from the drink become “extra” calories. Of course, people should also limit their consumption of other high-calorie foods with limited nutritional value. Q: Isn’t thi
