Agree or Disagree? Tax The Sugar Junkies?

‘Governments are hypocrites’ growl the Libertarians. On one hand the Nanny State admonishes its citizens to stop smoking and live healthily. Meanwhile governments everywhere collect oodles of moneys from the same smokers, through horrendous taxation of tobacco products.

TRILLIONS IN TAXES

Next year, Indonesian tobacco excise revenue is targeted to reach Rp 158.8 trillion, for an increase of Rp10.6 trillion compared to this year’s target of Rp148.2 trillion. This revenue is the main contributor to excise revenues of Rp165.5 trillion next year. In case you’re interested, that’s USD 11,380,938,500 tobacco companies and smokers are coughing up, along with their lungs and a huge sticky wad of horrible green stuff you don’t want to hear about.

SHOULD GOVERNMENT IMPOSE SWEET DRINK TAXES TO DISCOURAGE CONSUMPTION?

It is universally agreed that today’s consumers are overdosing on sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, and that it is not good for you. But consumers love fast food, junk food, sweet drinks. Then suddenly your children look like blimps. And end up in the hospital with obesity-related ailments in their teens.

So how to discourage over-consumption of empty-calorie sweetened foods? This should also translate into public health savings, with less obesity, diabetes, cancer and other sugar-linked ailments.

Here’s how it works in the U.K.:

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK

DEAR Ya Udah Bistro PATRON?

Share your approval / outrage in the Comments Section below. We’ll run your comments, with or without your name, two weeks from now. Have a nice beer and sausage / steak / potato salad / smoke as you ponder your Comments…

[So be civil. Share experience. Have fun.]