Washington, D.C. — Today the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) fired back against a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, which supports placing an additional tax on foods and drinks in order to curb obesity in adults.
J. Justin Wilson, CCF’s Senior Research Analyst, made the following statement regarding this nanny-state proposal:
The tax code should not be used as a tool for social engineering. Nor should it be an instrument for penalizing individuals who make food choices that some government bureaucrats don't like.
Adults should be able to govern their own diets without having their personal food preferences taxed out of their reach. High taxes on food and drinks are nothing more than a state-sponsored guilt complex. Americans have always known the difference between a banana and a banana split. A new tax is neither informative nor inspired thinking by government policy makers.
Punishing consumers for budget shortfalls is no way to shape up America. As sin taxes become cash-cow panaceas for needy states, legislators hope to balance budgets under the guise of tightening waistlines. Consumers don't deserve to be price-gouged so politicians can cover up their inability to restrain spending. When it comes to healthy living, personal responsibility is key. Not draconian food taxes.
