Killing Us Softly With “Sin Taxes”
Proponents of the big government regulation and control of Americans’ lifestyle choices are beginning to realize their ‘in your face’ approach isn’t quite receiving the warm reception they expected.
As cash-strapped cities and states across the nation increasingly attempt to plug gaping holes in their budgets by passing “sin taxes” and flat-out bans on sugar-sweetened beverages, freedom-loving citizens are protesting these nanny state efforts to curb their “bad habits” by purchasing and drinking even more soda and sports drinks, Slate.com reports.
Citing evidence that suggest sin taxes tend decrease consumption of certain food and beverages deemed ‘unhealthy’ by nanny state bureaucrats, Slate notes that once citizens find out the price hikes are specifically intended to “modify behavior,” they are more likely to revolt than repent.
“When the markup is presented specifically as a way to modify behavior, it is likely to elicit reactance and therefore be less effective,” Slate reports. “In the real world, people’s desire to assert their freedom to drink soda may very well trump the disincentive of higher cost.”
Slate, well-known for its liberal leanings, proposes a solution to combat Americans’ bitter resistance to being told by big government how to run their lives:
In an ideal situation, the price of soda would creep up without any government intervention, naturally resulting in less consumption, writes Slate’s Sheena Iyengar. That’s not likely to happen, so if we want to encourage people to drink less soda, we need to figure out how to force a raise in price without inducing reactance … Perhaps the best option is to reframe the tax so it doesn’t smack of moral policing or prompt grumblings about Big Brother.
Luckily, this article is open to comment by the public, and it appears Ms. Iyengar hasn’t made a lot of fans with her proposal to deceive Americans with a “sin tax” that points the big nanny state finger at the so-called ‘irresponsible’ lifestyle choices they make with their own free will. Tell this nanny state propagandist to back-off and/or move to North Korea where someone might appreciate her dictatorial point of view.
