With a $27 billion budget shortfall, Texas is looking to raise taxes soda, diet soda, and energy drinks as a means to raise $2 billion a year and curtail the obesity rate.
The first issue with this proposal is the fact that there is still a $25 billion budget gap left to tackle. Second, targeting particular goods such as soda or energy drinks complicates the taxA tax is a mandatory payment or charge collected by local, state, and national governments from individuals or businesses to cover the costs of general government services, goods, and activities. code. Third, why is one sugary product worth being taxed at a higher rate than another? According to Maureen Storey, Senior Vice President for Science Policy at the American Beverage Association, “Taxes do not make people healthier, making smart education decisions about diet and exercise do.”
Peremptorily imposing an ambiguous tax on a select group of consumers is the worst way to close a budget gap. In light of sound policy and a little bit of common sense Texas needs to seriously reassess their budget and focus on cutting the least-valued government spending or raising a broad-based tax such as the sales taxA sales tax is levied on retail sales of goods and services and, ideally, should apply to all final consumption with few exemptions. Many governments exempt goods like groceries; base broadening, such as including groceries, could keep rates lower. A sales tax should exempt business-to-business transactions which, when taxed, cause tax pyramiding. .
Check this Tax Foundation Fiscal Fact out for more on soda taxes.
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