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Proposed soda tax wins little praise from students

Regarding the ever-present debate over heath-care reform, US President Obama recently introduced a way to help pay for the staggering cost for free health care for everyone: tax the sodas.

Coca-Cola Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Muhtar Kent called the idea “outrageous,” saying “I have never seen it work where a government tells people what to eat and what to drink…The bottom line is that the tax isn’t going to make anybody healthier. It’s not going to make a dent in a problem as complex and serious as obesity, and we’re certainly not going to solve the complexities of the health care system with a tax on soda pop.”

The proposed Soda Tax would not only tax sodas, but also energy drinks, sports drinks, juices, and iced tea; sugar-free drinks are spared the tax. Although the actual tax percentages have not been released, if Obama were to tax every once of these drinks one cent, 14.9 billion dollars would be raised- just a fraction of the 634 billion that will be needed to fund health care reform over the next 10 years.

In a recent interview, President Obama carefully noted “There’s no doubt that our kids drink way too much soda. And every study that’s been done about obesity shows that there is as high a correlation between increased soda consumption and obesity as just about anything else.”

Students’s reactions are generally on the negative view of this tax: Nellie Rogers, 7th grader on the Red Team quipped “I would be angry, you’d want [soda/soft drinks] to be cheaper.” On the other hand, Nick Gteras’s reaction, a 6th grader on the Sapphire Team, wasn’t as appalled to Obama’s proposed tax. “Our parents don’t buy those (soft drinks). ”

Parents and teachers reacted similarly: “This tax would fund healthcare…this would be a useful fund, like the cigarette tax,” remarked Linda Kincaid, advisor to THE DAYTIME.

Jonathan Carner, 8th grade Kiwi science teacher, wasn’t shaken up, as was Dan Dewees, Counciler. “By taxing the drinks, and making them cost more, people will now learn to stop their soda [addiction]…just like cigarettes,” noted Carner. “Drinks should be taken only in moderation…it ought to be taxed more…you’ll never see me walking around the hallways carrying 2-liters,” reported Dewees.

Most students were outraged over the fact that sports drinks, iced tea and juices would also be taxed, but in the end, this tax is only for our good, and people must learn to accept and live with that, in order to have a longer and healthier life.

© 2009 The Daytime.