Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has proposed a 5 percent tax on sugary treats, including soda and candy. The tax, which is intended to discourage the consumption of empty calories and stem the rise of obesity, would see revenue from purchased sugars end up in the Commonwealth Wellness Fund. This fund would use portions of the taxed money to support substance abuse and childhood obesity. The editorial board of The Miami Student believes that this new tax will be beneficial for health and economic reasons, outweighing the possible implications of hurting local business during the recession.
The tax, which mirrors vice taxes on alcohol and tobacco products, would be a strong financial support to public wellness programs. While many dispute the ability of an extra couple of cents tacked onto candy costs to truly decrease the amount of consumption, the added money would help by bolstering programs that are underfunded. As the Boston Globe reports, candy and soda consumption levels have been on the constant rise since the mid-1980s (Boston Globe, "In sweet shops, response to candy tax proposal is sour," Jan. 30).
The most important aspect, that Massachusetts officials stress, is that a behavioral change will not take place with the tax. While the Boston Globe article bemoans the plight of the pre-teens and teenagers who cannot afford this small increase, state officials are adamant the tax is purely for revenue generation. This, the board believes, is a creative way to tax something that won't greatly impact purchases to the point that stores that rely on candy sales will suffer.
Conversely, the chance that any new tax will impact stores around the state could unbalance their business approaches in this time of economic uncertainty is something that we have to consider. However, the impact of this tax should be so minimal that stores really shouldn't have to worry about a couple 10-year-olds not being able to buy an extra can of Coke or a few Snicker bars. Moreover, other states have already had small taxes such as this applied to their confections and have not seen any overriding negative effects. In the end, the debate comes down to seeing that no substantial loss exists when the tax is applied-that is, except maybe a couple of pounds.
