Soda Tax Not Effective for Weight Loss, and Other Links
A 58 percent tax on soda would drop the average body mass by only 0.16 points on a scale of 30.
There is a market in baby foreskins. HT to Tyler Cowen.
Novartis smart pill expected in 18 months. An ingestible chip is activated by stomach acid and sends information to a small patch worn on the patient’s skin, which can transmit data to a smart phone or send it over the Internet to a doctor.
There are 384 health providers who earned more than $100,000 from drug companies. Some earned more than $300,000.
Rather than reduce obesity, I really think public health advocate proponents of a “fat tax” on sodas and sugary snacks just want to increase the tax revenue that funds their industry.
A tax on soda is more about raising revenue for the government, rather than helping people lose weight. This is quickly becoming the new “sin tax.”
I’m not surprised that a soda tax doesn’t reduce obesity. Ther are many ways for people to get sugar into their diet.
Sounds like there are a lot of doctors on the take. Small in percentage terms. But more than I would have expected.
I have to admit that a tax on soda doesn’t really bother me that much. Same with smoking bans. I know that it’s an infringement on liberty. I know that people should be allowed to make their own decisions. All of that makes sense to me. But, I don’t drink soda. So, I find it much harder to care.
But, I do think that if we’re going to tax sodas, we ought to start at the source and stop subsidizing farmers who grow untold bushels of corn that get turned into corn syrup and pumped into sodas.