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Something is enjoyable and has mildly negative health effects? Better tax it! Can't trust adults to decide for themselves if the risk of drinking, smoking pot,
by wyager 10y ago
Something is enjoyable and has mildly negative health effects? Better tax it! Can't trust adults to decide for themselves if the risk of drinking, smoking pot, or God forbid, eating sugar!
- infinite8s 10y agoThe problem is the costs of those actions are usually externalized to everyone else.
- wyager 10y agoOnly if you have socialized healthcare. Private deregulated healthcare internalizes these costs, solving the problem. I agree that if everyone else is on the hook for your medical bills, they have a say over what you ingest. This, of course, is why I'm against everyone being on the hook for everyone else's medical bills...
- swombat 10y agoThese are not mildly negative health effects. There has been an enormous rise in diabetes and obesity, including in children. Large numbers of people are dead because of these side effects and there are enormous costs imposed on the health system.
- wyager 10y ago> These are not mildly negative health effects. Yes they are. Life expectancy changes from median sugar intake are negligible. > There has been an enormous rise in diabetes and obesity, including in children. People have been eating a ton of sugar since the British started colonizing sugar cane producers. The rise in diabetes and obesity coincides with improving nutritional access. As people eat more, they get fatter. Big surprise. The solution is not to tax the shit out of food. > there are enormous costs imposed on the health system. So internalize those externalities and make people pay for their own health care.
- DanBC 10y agoThe main reason children in the UK are hospitalised is to remove organs - their teeth. This is entirely preventable with better oral hygiene and reduced sugar intake. Plenty of parents give their children undiluted fruit juice in the mistaken belief it's healthy. Worse, they often do so in bottles with teats or sippy cups. Have a look at the sugar content of drinks aimed at younger children, it's pretty bad. Increasing the price of those sugary drinks would give parents a clear and useful signal.
- agumonkey 10y agoEverything is unhealthy above some threshold. Sugar too, problem is, it's everywhere in disguise and it alters your sense of taste. Tax could reduce its presence. I just threw this out btw.