Of course, the mere notion of profits getting thinner certainly got the attention of Coke and Pepsi. Their beverage lobby, the American Beverage Assn., said such a tax would unfairly hit lower-income Americans and wouldn’t deter consumption. Funny, that is similar to what the tobacco industry said about the tax on cigarettes. But contrary to their complaining, higher cigarette costs have altered spending habits.
The lobbyists also formed a coalition to oppose taxes called, Americans Against Food Taxes. The group is running an ad that shows a family enjoying soda on a camping trip. “This is no time for Congress to be adding taxes on the simple pleasures we all enjoy,” the ad says.
I guess they’re right. Just because we’re paying billions to fight obesity doesn’t mean it’s time to panic. That time will come when our bloated bodies will literally explode when we hug one another. And the simple pleasures they refer to? Probably diabetes and heart disease. If we don’t want to pay a small tax on the junk we consume, maybe we should invest a few minutes in front of a full-length mirror. That way we can look at ourselves honestly and ask if Congress should step in or step back.
