How one city’s soda tax disastrously backfired on businesses and poor people
Peter Shawn Taylor: Despite eager claims from soda tax proponents, the impact on obesity is measurably zero in all cases
The notion that raising the price of sugary or fatty foods will convince people to consume less of them, and hence reduce obesity rates, has exploded in popularity in recent years. Hungary, Mexico and France now have health-related food or beverage taxes. So do many U.S. cities, including Berkeley, Calif., Boulder, Colo., Philadelphia and (starting next year) San Francisco. Despite eager claims from proponents, however, the impact on obesity is measurably zero in all cases.