38 ms·

>I'm not sure if there should be a tax on sugar. I think there should be in Canada because we have a public health care system and the effects of sugar intake

>I'm not sure if there should be a tax on sugar. I think there should be in Canada because we have a public health care system and the effects of sugar intake puts stresses on public health care, and those that who binge on sugar should be forced to pay for their higher costs on public health - I should not be subsiding their preventable issues.

mpg33 10y ago
I agree very much with that. But what if food manufacturers come up with new ingredients that escape the tax legally and those ingredients are actual worse for you?
- erikrothoff 10y ago
  That seems like a pretty minor "what if" to a pretty concrete solution.
forgetsusername 10y ago
Right. You're free to choose your diet, but any costs of said diet should not be imposed on the rest of society.
dominotw 10y ago
what about athletes and body builders who do carb/sugar loading? What about ppl who eat greasy food and don't exercise? Als, Wouldn't this merely penalize poor people with long hours and long commutes, poor people who are forced to live in food desserts, poor people who only have enough cash to buy bad food, poor people who have to feed a family of 5 on minimum wage.
- toasterlovin 10y ago
  A few things: 1. I think most athletes who purposely ingest a lot of carbs are probably not using sugar to accomplish this. 2. Greasy food is not actually bad for you. Grease is essentially fat, which is about as healthy as you can get. In a typical fast food meal, the greasy burger is the healthy part (minus the bun). It's the fries and soft drink which are the unhealthy part. 3. Grains are an incredibly affordable source of calories (it depends on the grain, but for the most part they are all upwards of 2,000 calories for $1). I don't think anybody's in danger of starving if sugar is more expensive.

38 ms·

>I'm not sure if there should be a tax on sugar. I think there should be in Canada because we have a public health care system and the effects of sugar intake

by bhouston 10y ago

mpg33 10y ago
I agree very much with that. But what if food manufacturers come up with new ingredients that escape the tax legally and those ingredients are actual worse for you?
- erikrothoff 10y ago
  That seems like a pretty minor "what if" to a pretty concrete solution.
forgetsusername 10y ago
Right. You're free to choose your diet, but any costs of said diet should not be imposed on the rest of society.
dominotw 10y ago
what about athletes and body builders who do carb/sugar loading? What about ppl who eat greasy food and don't exercise? Als, Wouldn't this merely penalize poor people with long hours and long commutes, poor people who are forced to live in food desserts, poor people who only have enough cash to buy bad food, poor people who have to feed a family of 5 on minimum wage.
- toasterlovin 10y ago
  A few things: 1. I think most athletes who purposely ingest a lot of carbs are probably not using sugar to accomplish this. 2. Greasy food is not actually bad for you. Grease is essentially fat, which is about as healthy as you can get. In a typical fast food meal, the greasy burger is the healthy part (minus the bun). It's the fries and soft drink which are the unhealthy part. 3. Grains are an incredibly affordable source of calories (it depends on the grain, but for the most part they are all upwards of 2,000 calories for $1). I don't think anybody's in danger of starving if sugar is more expensive.