America’s soda obsession is believed to contribute to our issue of obesity. New York City is fighting back with its Don’t Drink Yourself Fat ad campaign, but public health leaders want to do more. For a while now, there’s been talk about issuing a soda tax to reduce the consumption of calorie-loaded beverages including sodas, sugary fruit drinks, and energy drinks, to help lower the rate of obesity. The extra money made would help contribute to paying off healthcare costs . The soda tax debate has been going on for a while. Those in support think anything that discourages people from buying soda will help Americans cut down. Those against it think that a simple soda tax won’t stop people from drinking soda since you can’t change people’s taste buds. They feel that educating

people about healthier choices would be more effective, since a soda tax may just push people to opt for other unhealthy choices. Another good point is that soda isn’t the only food that contributes to obesity. What about fast food, candy bars, and desserts? Will those be taxed as well? This soda tax is far from approval, but could very well happen – in a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 53 percent of people were in favor of the soda tax. So tell me . . . Would a Tax on Soda Make You Drink Less? Yes, it’s not worth the extra dough. No, a tax won’t prevent me from drinking soda. No, because I don’t drink soda anyway.

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Would a Tax on Soda Make You Drink Less?