Current Taxes on Sugary Drinks No Deterrent
Expert Analysis from the Annual Meeting of the Obesity Society
Dr. Powell said that in the future, jurisdictions that adopt higher taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages “will provide natural experiments for researchers to examine the effectiveness of these efforts in promoting healthier dietary intake and curbing the obesity epidemic.”
Two areas of future research that she called for include issues of applicability to food stamp programs as well as considering the notion of an excise tax instead of a sales tax. “The excise tax would apply prior to purchase and be listed as part of the shelf price,” she said. “If the intended goal is a public health goal, where you're trying to change behavior, that's really the only way to do it. It has to be built into the shelf price.”
Dr. Powell said that she had no relevant financial conflicts to disclose.
