Soda Tax

[Connie Weber]

New England Journal of Medicine: The Public Health and Economic Benefits of Taxing Sugar-Sweetened B...

Although this article would be too difficult for most students, it's the basic starting point for examining the issue of whether it would be a good idea to tax soda (which we in Michigan call "pop"!), thus potentially reducing the use of something that is associated with a severe health problem (obesity), and funneling funds raised from that into health-producing incentives. I think the issue is a good one for a Problem-based learning activity, an in-depth one. It's particularly useful since students may strongly lean towards the "no" side of the issue, just leaping to that view because they "like" pop. Overcoming bias might be a significant part of the learning process. Can both sides of the proposal be looked at squarely?

It's also a good study because there's so much out there on the issue; sifting through the reporting style and biases of the various groups would have to be looked at. I can see students deciding to study the strength and tactics of lobbyists as part of their explorations. Lots of possibilities, a rich issue.

[scott smith]

Hi Connie,

Full disclosure: I haven't read the article yet ;)

I think with sugary soft drinks (soda, pop or 'tonic' as we said in Boston area) that governments, we have created a bit of a paradox which resembles the situation we have with tobacco products. The message to kids (well all people) is that smoking is bad. However, in government operations--including schools--we have become reliant on tobacco for revenues, from taxes, and the legal settlements (at least I think those are paid out annually).

And while we probably aren't quite as adamant about the health issues related to over-consumption of soft drinks, I think we probably have similar situations. It's been a while since I've been in school, but I would think that many schools still have the "Free" scoreboard that is adorned with the Coke or Pepsi logo. Would the school still have that scoreboard if it were to remove Coke or Pepsi from its vending machines?

Personally, I would rather cigarettes go away entirely and the nation's love-affair with soft drinks be reduced to a casual acquaintance (my utopia is one in which Super Big Gulp is eight oz). However, it's a difficult situation we're in if were are reliant on the persistence of unhealthy habits.

The trick is: how do we manage the transition of being reliant on the revenues from tobacco, soft drinks (or oil...)?