U.S. lawmakers weigh beverage taxes in health revamp
 

U.S. lawmakers weigh beverage taxes in health revamp By Donna Smith - Mon May 18, 12:56 PM PDTWASHINGTON (Reuters) - A tax on soft drinks and other sweetened beverages and higher taxes on alcohol are among the options U.S. lawmakers will consider to pay for expanded healthcare coverage, a Senate report said on Monday.

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The beverage taxes were among the options outlined in a Senate Finance Committee report that panel members will review in a closed-door session on Wednesday.

Senators will look at a mix of taxes and cost savings to pay for a healthcare overhaul that aims to provide affordable medical coverage for all Americans, including an estimated 46 million who have no insurance.

Wednesday's session will likely be contentious as lawmakers search for politically palatable ways to finance health reform amid soaring budget deficits.

President Barack Obama wants Congress to pass the overhaul by the end of the year. He has called for a $634 billion "reserve fund" in his budget as a downpayment toward expanding coverage to the uninsured.

Many analysts believe the final cost is likely to be much higher. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, and other Democrats, argue that an overhaul of the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare system is needed to control soaring costs.

"Without healthcare reform, healthcare spending will reach $4.4 trillion by 2018," Baucus said in a statement accompanying the release of the possible financing options.

The committee is expected to draft healthcare legislation next month with aim of winning Senate passage by August. The House of Representatives is working on a similar timetable.

Raising taxes on sweetened beverages would provide an added benefit in helping to fight obesity, which drives up healthcare costs, the committee report said. The proposal calls for no tax on artificially sweetened drinks.

Another option would raise taxes on all types of alcohol and apply a standard rate. Taxes now are lower for beer and wine, which are based on volume, than for distilled spirits, which are based on alcohol content.

Other options include limiting some of the current federal tax subsidies for healthcare, which amounted to $194.2 billion in 2008. In particular, lawmakers are looking at limiting a tax break for employer-provided health insurance, a proposal opposed by labor unions.

Lawmakers are also looking at cost savings in the Medicare and Medicaid health programs for the elderly and poor, including requiring high-income earners to pay more for their Medicare drug coverage.

The proposal calls for no tax on artificially sweetened drinks.


I do not care for that part at all. It would encourage more usage of artificial shit which I think causes more harm than natural sweeteners ever could.

Not saying I support the tax though. However the alcohol ones do not bother me at all.

Nearly all "evidence" used against artificial sweetners is purely anecdotal rather than based in medical studies. The vast majority of Doctors do not view artificial sweetners as being the devil that a few seem to.

Regardless, it's not important and here's why. Diseases related to obesity are becoming epidemic. The greatest good lies in reducing the amount of fat people in the system. :2 cents:

I do not see them as toxic like many do. I find other issue with them and typically it falls into a false sense of security and over indulgence in a given product because it says "sugar free" or something along those lines. Then in blind studies it has been shown that people eat less when they think it is normal and eat more when it claims "low fat", "sugar free", etc. on the packaging.

Sweet. More taxes. People are hurting... let's tax them some more for simple pleasures.

I don't want to hear about any more tax hikes until I see politicians forfeiting their salaries and expense accounts. They do that, I'll chill a little bit on my anti-tax crusade.

Plenty of people have talked about it. Our governor here in NY planned on instituting a few of these "lifestyle taxes", but has now since changed his tune.

taxes rule, everybody loves them.

I thought some of them went through? Man he was going crazy there for awhile. I was seriously expecting a sex tax... buying condoms? That's five dollars in taxes! We need it to pay for welfare babies!

What made him change his mind?

get ready for even more taxes people.

We need to pay back all of those bail outs... where did you think the money was going to come from?