Closing Arguments: Soft Drink Tax a Nanny State?

I think government officials need to do more research of the effects of artificial sweeteners on the overall health of a person before they go thinking that 'diet' sodas are so much better for you. If the real aim of this movement was to get America healthier, they would tax all soft drinks and make water, per-say, tax free. Sugar doesn't make you fat or unhealthy, high fructose corn syrup does, and aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are not without their own major health risks. Petition soda companies to use real sugar and promote activities to get children off of the sofa and on to the playground and you will then have a sensible plan for health of our future generations.

I'm all for taxing things that are bad for you health. Maybe it will help reduce the number of people drinking sodas. They need to increase the taxes on cigerettes and alcohol too!

The stupidity of such a tax shows the poor quality of those attempting to run the state. I clearly shows that NY is not to be looked to as an example. At least for a positive example.

What is wrong with this governor, and the idiots who agree with him? In case you didn't know, diet drinks contain aspartame, the same as fake sugar, which causes cancer. Do you want to rot away sooner from cancer by drinking diet drinks, or die from being too fat? Either way your a goner and out of the gene pool!

As long as our governor is going to tax unhealthy things that we eat and consume, he may as well tax Chocolate, all candy items, chewing gum, cake mixes, cookies, sugared cereal, jello, natural juices, donuts, and jellies.
I'd say the man is not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
Why would he single out the soft drinks.
He needs to be ousted!

I don't think the tax on soft drinks is that bad of an idea. However, you can't just make it on non-diet drinks. The tax should be on all beverages produced by Coca-cola, Pepsi, and the rest. To not tax them and say they are a basic food stuff that people need is ludicrous. I like a coke here and there but in excess is nuts. I know people that drink diet pepsi and end up drinking twice as much and then think its ok. But, the have a serious weight problem, boy go figure.I'm no health nut by any means and probably 25 lbs overweght but putting all that unnatural chemicals and sugars has bad side effects. Diabets, obesity, the damage they do to ones teeth, and not to memtion the possible links, of pouring all those chemicals into ones body that could point to cancer. Maybe a tax will make people think a little bit about the risk before buying 4 cases of pop a week.

Taxing soda isn't going to make people healthier. there's still going to be fast food, pizza chains, potato chips...etc etc. This country (let alone just the state of New York) is so full of junk food, there would need to be A LOT more done than just taxing soda.

One more short comment!
This attack on our beverages is just another way to make the tax payers of NY pay for the mismanagement of our tax dollars. Evidently our lovely state government has made some p?? poor investments and now we must oay again.

I agree with taxes, the money has to come from somewhere but I do not think now, in our economic situation, is the best time to do that. I understand the idea behind taxing pop but if they are going to tax pop they should tax all pop not just diet because the aspartame in diet pop is FAR WORST for you health and weight gain than pop with sugar. These politicians obviously don't have all their facts and should do a lot of research on aspartame as should the rest of people who consumer ANY food with a sugar substitute.

In principle, I don't have an issue with Governor Paterson's tax proposal, but what I do have a problem with is his arbitrary decision to limit this tax to non-diet soft drinks. Why does he and the rest of the general public feel that diet sodas are healthier compared to their sugared equivalent? If the governor intends to promote healthier eating habits, the tax should also include those food items which include artificial additives, growth hormones, high fat, high cholesterol, high sodium and other types of foods which contribute to an unhealthy American diet.

This tax gives a very false idea of what is healthy. Diet soda additives and chemicals are not healthy at all. Soda is not a nutritous drink period. Lots of obese people drink diet soda. Promote the drinking of water and juices. Tax both types of soda or neither one.

I think it is an awful idea! It's not fair to single out diet sodas. Not everyone can drink diet soda and other diet beverages. I was told by my doctor that NutraSweet (found in diet sodas) is not good for you and told not to ever drink it- Why not tax the NutraSweet products? What about candy, cookies, ice cream? Why not potatoe chips, Fritos and Doritos? They're not "good for you " either. What about coffee, tea ...... WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE?

While I am not against the concept of this tax (living abroad, we have much higher tax rates and yet receive a much more valuable, visible result for those taxes), I do object to the content of this particular tax. I applaud the Governor of NY for his efforts to address childhood obesity in creative ways, and yet there are numerous studies that suggest that many artificial sweeteners (i.e. saccharin, aspartame, etc) have been credibly linked to serious diseases (i.e. cancer, poisoning). If this tax were simply on full sugar sodas alone, without implying a legislative preference for "diet" drinks, that might be a better approach.

My personal feeling on any "soda tax" is "it's discrimination". The main idea of keeping our children healthy by not drinking all sugar filled soda should be better regulated by parents. It was never like this years ago, back then parents (like myself) regulated what the children did online, what they ate, and what they drank and most of all how they were raised. (I could go on and on about that but this is about the "soda tax" and not how parents should be doing a better job of raising their children) An 18% tax on regular soda is total ridiculous!

A former New Yorker

You'd think that if they put a tax on soda drinks that people would just stop buying them.

They are calling it the 'obesity tax'... but soda alone does not make people obese. It's the poor nutrition, lack of exercise, excess sugar, etc.

What do you think they'll tax next? Chewing Gum tax! Hair Brush tax!

I think this is a good tax, but a tax of this type should include all soft drinks, because diet drinks are also very unhealthy, if not even worse. Diet drinks that contain all artificial sweeteners, and even Splenda can cause very adverse health problems. This tax should also include any bottled or canned fruit drinks that contain corn syrup. Only whole fruit drinks that do not contain added sweeteners should be excluded. Due to false marketing we have been led to believe Diet drinks or artificial sweeteners are safe, which is completely false.

I really wish that the American News Networks would watch BBC and learn to report real news, and focus on real problems. Preventative Health and Medicine, the Environment, Fuel efficient technology of 35 to 50 mpg or greater, Wind Power, New advancements in Solar Energy. News that can really improve our lives.

I think the question misses the bigger picture which is government can never shrink to fit the economic climate. It raises taxes to cover the deficits and then when the econmy recovers these new taxes that were used to fill in when when the economic climate was poor are not rescinded or dropped and those revenues are used in new programs/initatives. Then when the economy declines again here comes more taxes yet to cover again a government who cant shrink to fit the economic climate. Throughout this process the government becomes more and more socialist to justify its means.

New York needs to shrink accordingly and then look for a means of economic stimulus/growth to increase tax revenue. If not it will eventually bloat itself out of existance and then everyone will suffer at a level never before experienced. By then an 18 cent tax on sugar soda will be meaningless. No one will have anough money to buy any soda and that is if you can even find one to buy.

The state of our state makes me sick! We are so overtaxed because so many of our citizens do not work for private enterprise, but for the state or town or county. There are far too many unnecessary jobs and programs that the taxpayers are paying for. That is the reason NY is in such a financial mess! Our property taxes are absurdly high and They have already taxed cigarettes, beer & gas to such a high percentage that they can't do it anymore, so now the governor wants to go after diet soda!?! Unbelievable. They need to focus on the all too liberal "programs"

Isn't there enough taxes in this world today; because the Govenment thinks they can do what ever they with our money. We have to do good in our household and pay our bills with the money we have. We don't go out and tell people we need more money. Why should the Govenment ask for more money. New York starts something and the rest of the states follow. That's balony!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do not agree on the tax on non-diet sodas. Some of us have low blood sugar and cannot drink diet sodas!