Would you support an increase in soft drink sales taxes to decrease sales taxes on other groceries?

[LoZoccolo]

[Curmudgeoness]

1. Other. My state does not have sales tax on food

and that is the only fair thing.

[Tx4obama]

2. Increase soft drink taxes and LOWER CIGARETTE TAXES !!! :) n/t

[notadmblnd]

3. groceries, including pop are non-taxable items where I live

So no I would not support a tax increase on any store bought grocery item. I would support a 1% Federal sales tax on all other non essential items though. I've also thought maybe have a Federal Lottery to raise revenue? But no one wants to talk about raising revenue.

[ZombieHorde]

4. No, I don't think groceries should be taxed at all. nt

[petronius]

5. Other: increase taxes on things that I don't buy to lower taxes on things that I do buy

:)

[slackmaster]

16. That's a pretty good generic response!

I like it.

:hi:

[Forkboy]

6. Would you support a decrease in military funding to also decrease sales taxes on groceries?

[LoZoccolo]

10. It depends on which state is thinking of decreasing its state military budget.

For a land-locked state like Wyoming, they might be able to do it with little or no problem. In Alaska, however, some people can see Russia from their house. The Alaska Army needs all the help that it can get in that tense situation.

[Forkboy]

11. One of your funnier posts, but you still managed to not answer my question.

:shrug:

[ejpoeta]

7. there is no tax on food here. i think if it is prepared food there is tax...

personally i do not think these kinds of taxes are appropriate, but in the interest of at least spreading it to the most people i would say such a tax would be the most fair. these kinds of taxes.... like a sin tax.... i object to them mainly on the grounds that anyone could find almost anything to have negative health or well being effects and who gets to decide these things? it is often the poor that suffer these taxes more broadly than anyone else.

[Codeine]

8. Any tax on food is already madness.

We don't tax unprepared food in California.

[nebenaube]

9. absolutely! taxing food is taking it from a baby's mouth. n/t

[blondeatlast]

15. AZ now taxes food. I can't believe I'm still in this hell, but I do so love the desert. nt

[flvegan]

12. Wait...why soft drinks?

The whole idea of tax on groceries aside, why tax soft drinks as opposed to something else?

[slackmaster]

17. Because they're addicting, and people keep buying them even though they are low in nutritional value

;-)

[WinkyDink]

22. Then there's potato chips, and porn, and ice-cream, and gum, and Chapstick, and....

[slackmaster]

32. Porn, gum, and Chap-Sticks are already subject to sales tax in my state

JADP

[flvegan]

23. If we're going to tax consumable garbage...

we're going to be here for a long LONG time figuring out what is what.

[slackmaster]

33. I think we should STOP taxing tobacco and alcohol

Government revenue should not be dependent on consumption of potentially harmful products.

[shimmergal]

13. I'd support a tax on every drink sold

in six- and 12-packs and individual ready-to-go drinks, if it were specifically to finance a single-payer health care system.

My guess is that it would almost pay for it.

[slackmaster]

14. No. Neither soft drinks nor other groceries (food) are subject to sales tax here, and I oppose...

...sin taxes in general. Government should never put itself in a position of being dependent on sales of harmful items for revenue.

[SheilaT]

18. I don't ever buy soft drinks,

so I suppose I should support such a tax increase. However, these are state and/or local tax issues. I currently live in a state that does not tax groceries.

[Modern_Matthew]

19. No. No taxes on groceries. Period. Proud to say my state doesn't do this. nt

[one_voice]

20. No...

I've heard the "sin tax" argument, and I agree with a lot of it. BUT, taxing any food would hurt the poor and middle class the most. People are suffering enough, already worrying about putting food on the table, we shouldn't add to that.

[WinkyDink]

21. No. What's with the drive to single out this type of product?

[darkstar3]

24. No, for several specific reasons.

1. Increasing sales taxes on any food item is bad for the common family.
2. Increasing any tax in order to lower another tax always leads to the tax cut being temporary. Just ask a Missourian about their highway taxes.
3. There is no evidence that soft drinks harm anyone other than the individual consumer, which means that the government really shouldn't have any interest in discouraging their consumption.
4. We have income taxes, property taxes, highway taxes, and many others. The most harmful tax to our economy and working classes is sales tax.

I'm sure in the next few hours I'll think of other reasons...

[applegrove]

25. A value added tax really works well to pay government bills. If you spend all your

money of food and rent you don't pay the tax and you get some money back from the government twice a year. If you send your kid to the mall with $100, $5 will go to tax.

[Xithras]

26. Some states tax food?

That's just wrong!

[catabryna]

27. Not for a sales tax decrease on groceries...

but I might support it if it were directed toward health care.

[Bluebear]

28. I would support having the rich pay their fair share and leave soft drinks out of it.

[Canuckistanian]

29. Why yes, yes, I would

A worthy question. Thank you.

[cali]

35. do you realize that many states don't tax groceries?

[Johonny]

30. I think we should tax gold instead

[Rowdyboy]

31. I think its an exceptional idea and would support it in a heartbeat

[cali]

34. No sales tax on groceries in my state. I think it's sick shit to tax groceries.