MS Bill seeks ‘sin’ tax on soft drinks

[MacUser]

Bill seeks ‘sin’ tax on soft drinks
http://gwcommonwealth.com/articles/2010 ... edit01.txt

By one estimate, such an excise tax could raise $200 million a year in Mississippi. It would at the same time reduce soft drink sales. The tax would add 40 cents to the cost of a 20-ounce soft drink at a convenience store. And the price of a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans, which often are sold at steep discounts at grocery stores, would increase by $2.88.

The bill begins by reciting a number of statistics that basically say too many Mississippians are overweight, and this has led to rising rates of illness that are increasing medical-care costs.

It further states the bill’s intention is to “diminish the human and economic costs of obesity” in the state by discouraging “excessive consumption” of soft drinks.

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Wow... Just BE HONEST.. To say you want to fleece 200m + from honest Mississippi people is one thing.. but to say it's about saving tax dollars by APPLYING A TAX is absolutely ridiculous.

If this TAX works.. then we should ALL tax our Health Care Insurance then we would all be well? Absolutely Ridiculous.

[Full Quiver]

Well with that logic North Carolinians shouldn't be overweight but I digress.....

[MacUser]

For the record, I've consumed Soft Drinks my entire life. I'm a "Real Thing", "Give the World A Coke"... Coke Fan and I'm not overweight.

The problem is that we are GIVING AWAY FREE MONEY at an astounding rate and THAT can't be sustained ( In debt up to our eyeballs commercials ).

Beam me up Scotty.

[macgulley]

Hopefully it will suffer the same fate as this bill:

Mississippi Legislature
2008 Regular Session
House Bill 282
Title: AN ACT TO PROHIBIT CERTAIN FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS FROM SERVING FOOD TO ANY PERSON WHO IS OBESE, BASED ON CRITERIA PRESCRIBED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH; TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT TO PREPARE WRITTEN MATERIALS THAT DESCRIBE AND EXPLAIN THE CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING WHETHER A PERSON IS OBESE AND TO PROVIDE THOSE MATERIALS TO THE FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS; TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT TO MONITOR THE FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS FOR COMPLIANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES..

http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2008/p ... HB0282.xml

[MacUser]

Hopefully it will suffer the same fate as this bill:

Mississippi Legislature
2008 Regular Session
House Bill 282
Title: AN ACT TO PROHIBIT CERTAIN FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS FROM SERVING FOOD TO ANY PERSON WHO IS OBESE, BASED ON CRITERIA PRESCRIBED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH; TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT TO PREPARE WRITTEN MATERIALS THAT DESCRIBE AND EXPLAIN THE CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING WHETHER A PERSON IS OBESE AND TO PROVIDE THOSE MATERIALS TO THE FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS; TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT TO MONITOR THE FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS FOR COMPLIANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES..

http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2008/p ... HB0282.xml

Hopefully... but it's a major difference. The above one is discriminating on appearance and this one is just a Tax Scheme to fleece the lower incomes earners money.

[Paully_44]

Talk here of our Gov wanting to do the same thing with candy.

[MacUser]

Talk here of our Gov wanting to do the same thing with candy.

I heard your plastic carry bags are now being taxed?

[Paully_44]

Talk here of our Gov wanting to do the same thing with candy.

I heard your plastic carry bags are now being taxed?

I think that may be only in the city of Seattle or it got nixed all together.

Too bad our govenor doesnt tax herself on the air she breathes.

[dolfan]

It's coming. And, they'll probably start telling companies what ingredients to use. They've done it with cigarettes.

[Mole_J]

Talk here of our Gov wanting to do the same thing with candy.

I heard your plastic carry bags are now being taxed?

I think that may be only in the city of Seattle or it got nixed all together.

Too bad our govenor doesnt tax herself on the air she breathes.

In DC there is a 5 cents per plastic bag. I think in San Francisco now there are no plastic bags allowed.

In the next few years there will be moves to tax anything the government feels is unhealthy. Sodas, candy, fast food, and junk food will be taxed.

[MacUser]

moves to tax anything the government feels is unhealthy.

What if it's Govt. that is deemed unhealthy?

[dbserv]

I heard your plastic carry bags are now being taxed?

I wouldn't call it "taxed", but one Wal Mart near us has ELIMINATED ALL free bags - plastic & paper.


If you don't bring your own, then you pay 15 cents for each paper bag that they provide you to carry your stuff away with.

Plastic is NOT even an option in that store.


I knew they were testing this idea in a few stores in the midwest, but this is the first we had heard of it in CA. Family experienced it for themselves yesterday.

So glad I have my 10 bags!!! Got 3 new ones for Christmas - Minnesota Viking bags!!!!! VERY COOL!

[MacUser]

I would drive extra miles or even into a different town to avoid that at all possible.

[Paully_44]

I would drive extra miles or even into a different town to avoid that at all possible.

so would I. use more gas and throw more emissions up to the sky so I can use my free bags.

[MacUser]

Right. You should see the back of my family 4x4 SUV large V8 when we return from grocery shopping! To think I would have to hand carry each item or carry 10 bags is absolutely crazy.

While Al Gore is flying daily on private jets along with all his cohorts. And catering services are delivering food via vans to his mansons.

Like saying soft drinks cause obesity ( and taxing them will make you skinny )