Tobacco Taxes vs Soda Taxes: A Case Study of a Framing Debate in Vermont (original) (raw)
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Public support for a sugar-sweetened beverage tax and pro-tax messages in a Mid-Atlantic US state
Public Health Nutrition, 2014
ObjectiveTo examine the characteristics of supporters and opponents of a sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax and to identify pro-tax messages that resonate with the public.DesignA survey was administered by telephone in February 2013 to assess public opinion about a penny-per-ounce tax on SSB. Support was also examined for SSB consumption reduction and pro-tax messages. Individual characteristics including sociodemographics, political affiliation, SSB consumption behaviours and beliefs were explored as predictors of support using logistic regression.SettingA representative sample of voters was recruited from a Mid-Atlantic US state.SubjectsThe sample included 1000 registered voters.ResultsFindings indicate considerable support (50 %) for an SSB tax. Support was stronger among Democrats, those who believe SSB are a major cause of childhood obesity and those who believe childhood obesity warrants a societal intervention. Belief that a tax would be effective in lowering obesity rates wa...
Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes: Industry Response and Tactics
2018
The consumption of sugary beverages (SBs) has increasingly grown in many countries and is a significant contributor to the rise in obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In response, public health officials in multiple countries have pushed for implementing a tax on SBs in order to reduce their consumption. Today, many individuals, especially those of lower socioeconomic status, live in environments in which unhealthy foods and drinks are more accessible than healthier ones. The beverage industry has greatly contributed to the formation of these “obesogenic” environments through their extensive advertising activities and effective marketing strategies. With rising public awareness of sugar’s link to obesity, the industry has heavily invested in campaigns that seek to shift the blame away from their products and has aggressively opposed legislative efforts to pass an SB tax. This perspective will focus on explaining the rationale and necessity of an SB tax by highlighting the ...
Israel Journal of Health Policy Research
Background: Fiscal policies to fight obesity such as taxation of unhealthy foods or sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) have gained considerable attention in recent years. Many studies modelling the impact of various magnitudes of taxes on SSB purchasing and their potential effects on various health outcomes have been published; however, legislation and implementation of such taxes have encountered many obstacles in the countries that have implemented them to date. We investigated the perceptions and views of key opinion leaders, policy makers and various other Israeli stakeholders on taxation of SSBs and unhealthy snacks. We also evaluated the challenges and barriers that may be expected for initiating such a policy. Methods: A qualitative study based on 39 in-depth interviews with Israeli stakeholders in the fields of health, nutrition, economics, public advocacy and policymaking. Results: All stakeholders viewed obesity as a combined societal and personal issue that should be under government responsibility. Only stakeholders from economic sectors thought that taxation of SSBs and unhealthy snacks would reduce their consumption, while the prevailing notion among non-economists was that such a tax would not be acceptable because the higher price would not decrease consumption. Concerns were raised that the tax would mostly affect individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Some of the stakeholders indicated that they would support such a tax only if its revenue would be directed to specific causes such as health-promoting plans. Potential barriers to taxation include: opposition of various sectors, technical and bureaucratic obstacles impeding tax implementation, difficulties in defining which products to tax, and opposition of the treasury to earmark tax revenue for health education. Conclusions: Taxation should be a part of a multipronged strategy rather than a sole measure for fighting obesity. Dedicating tax revenues to specific predefined causes should be considered, particularly towards health promotion activities, obesity treatment and prevention, education, and subsidies of healthy food.
From Coke to Coors: A Field Study of a Fat Tax and its Unintended Consequences
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2013
Could taxation of calorie-dense foods such as soft drinks be used to reduce obesity? This policylevel debate curiously neglects how an understanding of consumer behavior and marketing could offer insight to this question. To address this, a six-month field experiment was conducted in an American city of 62,000 where half of the 113 households recruited into the study faced a 10% tax on calorie-dense foods and beverages and half did not. The tax resulted in a short-term (1month) decrease in soft drink purchases, but no decrease over a 3-month or 6-month period. Moreover, in beer-purchasing households, this tax led to increased purchases of beer. To marketing scholars, this underscores the importance of investigating unexpected substitutions. To public health officials and policy makers, this presents an important empirical result and more generally points toward wide ranging contributions that marketing scholarship can make in their decisions.
2018
In their recent article Roache and Gostin outline why governments and public health advocates should embrace soda taxes. The evidence is strong and continues to grow: such taxes can change consumer behavior, generate significant revenue and incentivize product reformulation. In essence, such taxes are an important and now well-established instrument of fiscal and public health policy. In this commentary we expand on their arguments by considering how the worldwide adoption of such taxes might be further accelerated. First, we identify where in the world taxes have been implemented to date and where the untapped potential remains greatest. Second, drawing upon recent case study research on country experiences we describe several conditions under which governments may be more likely to make taxation a political priority in the future. Third, we consider how to help strengthen the technical and legal capacities of governments to design and effectively administer taxes, with emphasis on low-and middle-income countries. We expect the findings to be most useful to public health advocates and policy-makers seeking to promote healthier diets and good nutrition. Citation: Baker P, Jones A, Thow AM. Accelerating the worldwide adoption of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes: strengthening commitment and capacity: Comment on " The untapped power of soda taxes: incentivizing consumers, generating revenue, and altering corporate behavior.
The Political Economy of Soda Taxation
Research Papers in Economics, 2015
There has been an increase in the prevalence of obesity in the United States over the past several decades. The academic literature has highlighted numerous possible causes, including the consumption of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages. Soda taxes have been suggested as a way of reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and a number of U.S. states disfavor" sugar-sweetened beverages relative to food in their tax code. In this note we employ a political economy model to explain the adoption of these soda taxes." We find that more Democratic states and those with a higher rate of adult obesity are more likely to have soda taxes and states with more convenience stores per capita are less likely to have adopted a tax.
2018
Sarah A. Roache and Lawrence O. Gostin's recent editorial comprehensively presents soda taxation rationales from a public health perspective. While we essentially agree that soda taxes are gaining momentum, this commentary expands upon the need for a better understanding of the policy processes underlying their development and implementation. Indeed, the umbrella concept of soda taxation actually covers a diversity of objectives and mechanisms, which may not only condition the feasibility and acceptability of a proposal, but also alter its impact. We briefly highlight some conditions that may have influenced soda tax policy processes and why further theory-driven case studies may be instructive. Citation: Le Bodo Y, De Wals P. Soda taxes: the importance of analysing policy processes: Comment on " The untapped power of soda taxes: incentivising consumers, generating revenue, and altering corporate behaviours. "