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03-26-2010, 12:34 PM

#151

m630

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Quote:

Originally Posted by pjinca

Okay, my bad, sarcasm sometimes has difficulty coming across the internet. Here's your cookie

BTW, any response to some of the ideas presented earlier? I think taxing unhealthy foods would certainly help pay for the preventative care outlined in the new bill IF and only IF the taxes generated actually go towards that. Unfortunately I have little faith ANY administration (Rep or Dem) can actually make that happen - their track record on focused taxes is not very good.

sure, id agree since I try to eat healthy, but then are we not targeting a particular group and thus hurting again those that need help most? One often regards unhealthy food as lower cost food, and perhaps its economics that is forcing someone to eat unhealthy, thus the circle we want to break without hurting those that have no other choice but to eat unhealthy

...the only way that this will work, gasp, is perhaps a VAT, which is a winfall for govt that certainly will generate the needed revenue and affect proportionately those that have the means to afford such a consumption tax.

im not suggesting this ofcourse, but it may be the only alternative at some point.

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03-26-2010, 12:46 PM

#152

pjinca

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Originally Posted by m630

I agree that at the outset it will be a penalty for those that have less $$$ (Krozi and I already discussed the reasons unhealthy foods are cheaper), however, by the same token - an increase in demand for healthier foods can lead to more streamlined production processes and therefore a cheaper over all product. That would be a win/win for the country as a whole. Healthcare gets cheaper as the populace gets healthier and thus healthy food production gets cheaper bringing it more in line with the unhealthy foods that people are used to eating now.

For me the worrisome part is the Gov't's track record regarding targeted taxes and the use of the funds they produce. For example: Part of the taxes we pay on gas is supposed to go to road building/improvement - if that's the case why is our infrastructure crumbling and everyone says there's no $$$ for fixing things? Obviously they have used the $$$ elsewhere.

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03-26-2010, 12:50 PM

#153

swajames

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Quote:

Originally Posted by m630

...the only way that this will work, gasp, is perhaps a VAT, which is a winfall for govt that certainly will generate the needed revenue and affect proportionately those that have the means to afford such a consumption tax.

Indeed - the US is the only major industrialized nation, and the only OECD member nation, that does not raise revenue through VAT and similar taxes.

I can certainly see the US implementing VAT in the reasonably near future. Frankly, reform is long overdue. The perception that the US is a low tax economy is a myth. Income tax rates are competitive, but add in state income tax, sales and use taxes, property taxes and others and the effective rate is incredibly high.