Soda Tax May Not Cut Obesity Rates; Stopping Sugar and Corn Subsidies May!

There has been a lot of argument back and forth, about the efficacy of the tax on sugary drinks as a way to curb rising obesity levels – while on the one hand people think that if unhealthy sugary drinks are more expensive, people will have less of them, which will have a positive impact on their fitness and health.

soda taxesOn the other hand, there is the view that such taxes have little impact on consumption patterns of individuals; studies having shown that such a tax impacts neither the rich nor the poor.

Treehugger made an interesting point recently, that these taxes of sodas and sugary drinks, even when they are as high as 40% may not make a substantial impact on people’s waistlines; but that there are other ways to curb this consumption and make people shift to healthier beverage choices.

The fact is that the ingredients that go into the making of these unhealthy drinks – items such as corn, soy, and so on – are heavily subsidized by the American farm policy.

This makes the production of unhealthy drinks as well as a whole lot of other unhealthy things – sweet cereals, candy, and other junk food very cheap in the first place. So it would make a lot of sense if these subsidies go, it is suggested.