Obesity and Taxation in United States

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Obesity is a medical condition in which there is more than average fatness. The results could be negative on one’s health. It could lead to reduced life expectancy and or increased health problems. The causes of obesity are a lifestyle related to the diet that one takes. The government tries as much as possible to reduce the spread of diseases by passing stringent laws in parliament.

The laws to increase the taxes on sugared beverages are already applicable in the states of Maine and New York. The other states are already putting in place measures to see how the laws can work. The two states act as an example of how to deal with the problem of obesity and diabetes. People need to hear that continuous and excess consumption of unhealthy foods causes early death. Some of the beverages that have sweetened sugar include soda, corn syrup, carbonated and uncarbonated drinks. They include the sports and energy drinks (Brownell and Frieden).

Recent metaanalysis showed that increased intake of sugared beverages is associated with increased body weight (Brownell and Frieden). It also results in poor nutrition and causes displacement of more healthful beverages. People reduce their intake of healthy beverages due to the availability of the sugared ones.

Another interventional study revealed that when people reduce the intake of soft drinks, their health improves. The soft drinks promoters always use their advertisements on children and teenagers. Some of them can not differentiate between a Television program and an advertisement. There is evidence also that the intake of sugared beverages surpassed that of milk consumption in mid 1990’s (Brownell and Frieden). Beverages account for about 11% of calories in children and adolescents. And in the past decade the beverages intake increased by 30%. For every glass of beverages that one takes in there is a 60% chance of getting obese. Higher prices on these beverages reduce their consumption rate by a corresponding higher margin. The reduction of soda intake reduces the risk of heart diseases and other related conditions. The government would also have a better chance of serving a healthy nation.

The government spends close to $79 billion yearly for lifestyle diseases like the obesity and overweight. Medicare and Medicaid cater for half of the obesity and overweight treatments. It is quite a large sum of money. If people could listen and eat healthy then it would benefit other areas. In charging the higher tax, the government would be helping the society since sickness and disease is a problem to society. It reduces production levels. People begin to deal with how to treat their ailments rather than work to make themselves and the nation more productive. It also increases absenteeism at work (Brownell and Frieden).

Workers fail to report to work so that they can attend to their health problems. It causes the employers lose a lot of work hours and try to find a replacement. For those who attend school, it causes poor performance. Students do not get time to study because they are mostly sick or at hospitals getting treatment. Absenteeism from classes causes one to lose many important class hours and lessons. There is also reduced fitness in military recruits (Brownell and Frieden). As a result, it causes the military to lack best suited soldiers for combat.

The second consideration is the information that the marketers give to the audience is not balanced. Instead of telling the potential buyers the health hazards involved, they only give positive news. They claim that the beverages give energy and or vitamins to the body. Their techniques tend to concentrate on the young children who do not understand the difference between a television program and an advertisement (Brownell and Frieden). By so doing they make them continue consuming the products that destroy their health slowly unknowingly.

The tax consideration generates revenue for the state. A penny per ounce can raise $ 1.2 billion in New York State alone. Such taxes that generate income while at the same time promoting health benefits are the best options. They are much better than those taxes that only exist to generate income for the State. Citizens should realize that the government is also concerned about their wellbeing.

It is not a must for one to take sugared beverages because they are not necessary for survival. Half of the increase in consumption of calories is accounted for in sugared beverages. Even if no single action would solve the obese menace, it does not mean that the government should not try available options.

The tax on sugared beverages can be fruitful if it helps to reduce the consumption and people can relate the tax to its benefits. Since manufactures pass the excise tax cost to the consumers, then if it becomes expensive it discourages people from purchasing it. The tax can be used to stop childhood obesity. The government can use the media to promote advertisements on the healthier foods. It can also use the proceeds to subsidize the healthy foods. Such action would also help combat the regressive effects (Brownell and Frieden).

However, there are objections to this kind of taxation. One cannot compare food taxes to tobacco and alcohol taxes. One must eat to survive. It would be unfair to select particular foods and impose a tax on them (Brownell and Frieden). Tax alone cannot solve the obesity problem. There has to be other means and methods. Public policies only cause impact after they become effective. One should not rely very much on statistics that have not been tested. It is true that the selection involves a particular set of foods. But it is also unfair to let such foods to continue harming the American citizens’ health. It is also unfair to continue allowing the manufacturers to continue making profit on products that are unhealthy.

Good health is the responsibility of everyone. In as much as it affects individual citizens, it also affects society and the government. If all stakeholders can find a workable solution to obesity, then the consultations would provide the best decision. The implementation of the taxes, especially the excise taxes would go a long way in combating the menace. It would push the shelf prices on sugared beverages up, making them to be more expensive to use.

The price consideration is not just enough to solve the entire problem. The revenue generation must be put into good use. The use of media and all available means to discourage consumptions would be helpful. The government can also make the healthy products cheaper through subsidies using the revenue generated from the sugared beverages.

Works Cited

Brownell, Kelly D., and Thomas R. Frieden. ‘Ounces of Prevention — The Public Policy Case

for Taxes on Sugared Beverages’. New England Journal of Medicine 360.18 (2009): 1805-1808. Web.

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Obesity and Taxation in United States

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