Do you remember learning about the Boston Tea Party in History class? You know the one where the colonists got mad about the tax on tea and dumped the tea into the Boston Harbor?
I couldn't help but think about how ironic it would have been if Chicago had done the same thing to show outrage over the Cook County Soda Pop Tax. Okay, environmentally it would have been a nightmare and been horrible for Lake Michigan, but the Cook County Soda Tax caused some major tension in Chicago.
A new study from the World Health Organization says that about 25% of all American teenagers are obese. The soda tax was an attempt to raise over $1 billion dollars by taxing all sugary drinks a penny an ounce. Twofold, the tax would raise money for Cook County at the same time it was discouraging young people from drinking sugary drinks.
This week I want your opinion about the Cook County Soda Tax. Are you for the tax or against the tax and why?
1. The Cook County Government Site:
https://www.cookcountyil.gov/service/sweetened-beverage-tax
2. Chicago Tribune from 2016
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-cook-county-soda-pop-tax-vote-met-1111-20161110-story.html
3. USA Today
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/10/11/soda-tax-fizzles-out-chicago-area-after-clash-over-health-taxes-sales/753600001/
4. Chicago Tribune from this week
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-soda-tax-repeal-suffredin-1012-20171011-story.html
5. The Economist
https://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2017/10/fizzled-0
6. The Daily Herald
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171014/why-the-cook-county-soda-tax-failed
You will write a five sentence paragraph stating your opinion about the soda tax. In your paragraph, you must provide evidence to support your stance from one of the articles above. State which article you read to find your evidence. The first article is from the actual government site, but the other five articles are valid newspapers or magazines. Please do not start your paragraph with "I read...." Instead start right off the bat with your stance on the soda tax. Then support your claim with evidence and reasoning just like a scientific paragraph. Remember that sentences start with capital letters and end with periods. Additionally, you should comment on at least one of your peer's posts.
The passing of the Sweetened Beverage Tax continually achieves numerous positive outcomes such as dramatically reducing the number of heart attacks and obesity, therefore it should not be repealed. Through this law, it taxes you $.01 on every ounce of sweetened beverage in cook county. Nevertheless, people don’t want to pay this tax, so it reduces the number of sweetened beverages being bought. By doing this, it reduces many people's risk of heart disease and diabetes, which can have costly treatments. In conclusion, the Sweetened Beverage Tax should still be in order, and should’ve never been repealed.
ReplyDeleteI would have to disagree with you. If people really want to get their soda they wont care how much it cost. If they have a job and they want it they will get it because it is even after the tax it is still pretty cheep.
DeleteI agree. The soda tax should stay active, but at the same time it makes sens why it was repealed.
DeleteThough I see your point on how it would benefit people's health I believe there would be a lot of controversy over whether Cook County was judging how people raise their children and there are too many people that live there without children as well.
DeleteI agree with what you're saying. People don't want to have to pay any extra, especially if they can't spare a lot of money. Even though $0.01 seems like barely anything, it would add up over time.
DeleteI agree 100%. I think this tax should not be repealed because it could help fight obesity and other health issues.
DeleteI agree that it would help reduce obesity and heart attacks. Aldo, I agree with your point how people don't want to pay the tax so less people would buy sweetened beverages.
DeleteMy stance on the taxes is that they are unreasonable. I got into contact with a relative who lives in Cook County and she told me that there are some situations where things are being taxed for no reason. She said that if you go to a grocery store and buy a Starbucks frappuccino it would be taxed. But, if you went to a local Starbucks the drink would not be taxed. Therefore, I believe that the taxes are trying to raise money for other reasons.
ReplyDeleteI agree, this is one of the many reasons the tax flawed. There doesn't seem to be a clear idea of what should or should not be taxed.
DeleteI completely agree with you. That is almost border-line crazy that you could buy a frappuchino at a grocery store and then buy the exact same one at an actual Starbucks for a cheaper price. It's not fair to the regular Starbucks either.
DeleteWow this proves how unreliable and twisted these taxes truly are. This raises suspicion on where our money is going. Do you think this tax could in anyway be benefiting Cook County residents in ways other than health?
DeleteI totally agree with this because more people would probably have taken the same actions if it were about protecting citizens
DeleteThe Sweetened Beverage Tax should not be revoked because taxing $.01 per ounce of sweetened beverage means less people will buy it stated by the “The Cook County Government Site”. Also, it’s healthier due to not buying so much sweetened beverages and consuming the drink. However, this can either have a negative affect or positive affect towards the distributors. Likewise, some people wouldn’t want to pay extra due to the tax and wouldn’t buy the sweetened drink at all. Although, others might want the drink so much they buy as multiple sweetened beverages as they please and not worry about the tax leaving the distributors happy as well. Therefore, The Sweetened Beverage Tax should continue and not be revoked.
ReplyDeleteI think that soda tax is a cash grab that was put into place to fix the debt the chicago has. The tax has nothing to do with health it is all about the money for them. Now this maybe a strong or extreme view on it but it is justified. If you look at similar taxes that have tried to do the same thing and keep people health up they have not worked at all. The alcohol tax is a prime example of this. After reading articles about this in the past the tax is essentially just a cash grab. They say that is because the people disapprove of alcohol and to keep people and kids safe and away from it. But has that stopped drunk driving and violence and misconduct because of alcohol… No. This is the same concept for soda tax. To quote the article “Soda tax goes flat in Chicago area's Cook County after clash over health, taxes, sales”. The Cook county voted to remove the tax after backlash from the owners of the businesses that sell them. They said that it would hurt their sales and wouldn't do any good for them. If this was really about a public health issue then they would have stuck with their gut and kept in there. They would not have removed it because of some backlash.
ReplyDeleteI think most of it is for the money, but a little part is trying to reduce the obesity rate.
DeleteI believe that soda shouldn’t be consumed by people as much as it is and agree with the soda tax. After reading “Why I Voted to Keep Cook County’s soda tax”, I found that the tax has many ups and downs for the citizens of Cook County. Primarily, it is to prevent “the increase in heart disease, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis and the high cost of treatment.” which is what commissioner Larry Suffredin stated about the tax. While this tax may be helpful, it will also bring chaos. Many people who drink soda will be upset about the prices and not buy a drink, which would obviously help to lower all problems caused by soda. On the other hand, though, normal customers will no longer be giving their money up, so instead of making more money, like everyone thinks they will, stores will lose money. Thankfully, though, this tax is only active in Cook County, so it won’t effect anyone too much.
ReplyDeleteI agree Nick they shouldn’t have cut it so then we would be healthier.
DeleteMy opinion on the sweetened beverage tax is that it didn't really have an affect and just cost families and many adults without children more money. The tax was supposed to tax $0.01 for every once and after reading the 'Who Pays The Tax?' section of the government website I found all people must pay. This can cause unfairness to the many people in Cook County who do not have children and by the beverages for themselves since the tax was supposedly aimed at keeping soda away from children. I feel it would also have an impact on their economy because people would buy less sweetened beverages and lower the county's income from those products majorly even though the tax was made to boost the economy in the first place. After seeing all of these flaws it's no wonder the Cook County Board had to repeal the tax which is why I'd have to say no to this flawed tax.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you because, the tax had no benefits to anybody except the government since they got the money from the tax. I don't think this tax was needed at all.
DeleteI agree that this could be unfair to some people.
DeleteI agree with you but it's also it will be help full to the country's health I think what the tax should have really done is just tax the companies a bunch.
DeleteI read "Soda tax goes flat in Chicago area's Cook County after clash over health, taxes, sales" and my opinion on it goes both ways. They make a great point on kids becoming obese and how raising tax on pops and soda will lower these rates. But on the other side I think the government is just looking for a "cash grab". Like they Coca Cola said , they are many other ways to stop obesity so why don't you promote cooking at home, not eating fast food. Things like that will help the kids and our community. Nobody is losing money besides the stupid company and we are lowering obesity rates. It is a win win
ReplyDeleteI believe that the intentions behind the Cook County sugar tax were good, but that there are better ways to tackle obesity. Obesity is a serious problem in America, and it's "getting worse, especially among children" (The Economist). The goal of the sugar tax was to tackle this problem, unfortunately, the tax had many flaws. For starters, "more than 870,000 people were exempt from the tax" due to the inability of local governments to tax purchases made with food stamps (The Economist). The sugar tax also did not include "fruit juices that are packed with sugar" (The Economist). Therefore, I think that a more effective and far less controversial method of tackling obesity would be through education. If people were taught from a young age more about how to make healthy choices, then I believe that it would lead to more healthy and informed decisions.
ReplyDeleteI think the decision to repeal The Soda Tax was the smart move to make because it wasn’t benefiting anybody, it was just getting citizens to pay more money. The Soda Tax added an extra charge that was unreasonable and the government of Cook County only kept it active for a matter of months. I read the article created by the Chicago Tribune, and they mentioned that the reason for this tax was to decrease the risk of diseases such as heart disease diabetes, and to also lower the obesity rate of people, especially teenagers. First of all, putting a fee on sugary drinks is not going to change people’s health risks and obesity in a matter of months. It would have to be an active tax for longer than that. Also, if we want to reduce risk of diseases, why don’t we get rid of some fast food, or tax other items that can cause the same diseases. People everywhere are constantly eating fast food daily which is the main factor of obesity and diseases. If we want to solve this issue, we need to start here first. The Soda Tax is ridiculous in my opinion and I think it was highly ineffective as well.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the tax on soda should not take place. One cent per ounce is not going to do much to stop people from drinking soda. It is only more expensive. But, people will still pay for things that they want. I read the USA Today article and they stated, "There are better ways to address obesity and help fix government budgets gaps." This is very true. Charging people more money for something isn't going to make obesity rates just go down. The problem with obesity is that the people can't stop eating. So, just cause you add a little tax, doesn't mean that they'll stop eating or drinking. This tax will also be very fair to those who just want to have a soda once and awhile. My family does not drink very much pop, so we shouldn't be punished for other people's actions.
ReplyDeleteI think that the soda tax isn't really helpful because if people really want soda, then they'll pay for it. I read the article "Why I voted to keep Cook County's soda tax" by Larry Suffredin. They want to tax people $0.01 for every ounce and I don't see that making a large amount of people less likely to buy soda. There are some benefits if the soda tax would make you less likely to buy soda such as a less people having diabetes or being obese. Of course it's good that people are trying to fix a problem although I feel there could be a better solution.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the soda tax seems more like a nuisance than anything.
DeleteI agree with you people will pay more if they really want the soda.
DeleteI think the soda tax is a good idea and will pay off for the people. I read the Cook County Sweetened Beverage Tax on their website. They stated that the tax is $0.01 on every ounce of a sweetened
ReplyDeletebeverage, like soda or pre made tea. Cook county states that “not only the customers pay this tax but the company themselves”, this is a good idea since the entire soda industry is worth billions this tax may stop them from spending so much money on advertizing and bringing people to unhealthy soda. The reason they may stop over advertizing is because the more the advertize the more customers and the more customers the more tax on making and buying the supplies to make said soda.This tax isn’t only taxing soda though it also extends to many other beverages like machine dispensed lemonade or powdered mix drinks. This tax may just be on it’s way that water is worth the “extra” dollar.
I think that the tax on sugary drinks in Cook County, and in the U.S. in general, is a bad idea. I read the article “Soda tax goes flat in Chicago area’s Cook County after clash over health, taxes, sales,”. One of the biggest reasons that I stand against the idea is because the article stated that “evidence on the effects of soda taxes on sales and public health is ‘scarce’” meaning that the soda tax really serves no purpose. If one of the goals of the sugary drinks tax was to improve public health and reduce obesity, I feel like this is somewhat of a misguided effort. If the government found some other way to do these without limiting the ability of people to buy sugary drinks, then I feel like it would have better results and be more wells received.
ReplyDeleteI believe the sweetened beverage tax was a great idea in the beginning although it didn't go as some people had planned. It was supposed to provide enough revenue to balance our 2017 budget without any gimmicks. It was also supposed to help fight the increase of heart disease,diabetes, and obesity. The sweetened beverage tax was supposed to charge people an extra $0.01 on every sweetened beverage in Cook County. This would make less people want to buy sweetened beverages because the price went up, so it would reduce heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. However, this could backfire on the stores that are selling the beverages because more people would stop buying them and they would lose some money. I believe that in the end it was a good plan to repeal the tax.
ReplyDeleteI think the soda tax is needed. I think it is an unhealthy drink that should be taxed in order to benefit the community. Child hood obesity is an issue and i think putting a tax on sugary drinks is the right thing to do.In the article i read,they put the tax in perspective," For example, a 5 gallon bag of syrup will make 3,840 ounces of beverage – at tax rate of $.01 per ounce of sweetened beverage, the tax for that bag of syrup is $38.40." I think by having this expensive tax, sugary drinks will not be as popular or wanted. I think this tax should not be repealed because this could be the start of helping our bodies and health.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Child obesity has been worse these past years then its ever been before. Its time to put a stop to the amount of sugar people consume every day.
DeleteI agree, it is a simple solution that has worked on other products like cigarettes and alcohol.
DeleteThe benefits that come with a soda pop tax seem are great not only to our health on our country, the US as a whole too. However, such a large tax of around 32 cents to 72 cents is unreasonable and ridiculous. Not only is pop being taxed but “The tax will apply to all sugar and artificially sweetened drinks, including pop, sports drinks, lemonade and iced tea” as well according to the article “Cook County soda pop tax approved with Preckwinkle breaking tie vote”. This leaves everything except water untaxed! In a society like the one today, we have learned that the world runs on sugar. The tax would help manage and control health of course which I am a big fan of, but imposing such high tax is like putting that on tobacco. Breaking a bad habit can’t just can’t be “cut”, these types of things take time. With a “3 percent tax on retail sales of soft drinks in cans or bottles and a 9 percent tax on the wholesale price of fountain drink syrup” already taking place, adding more taxes on top of that would only solidify that this is more of a money drive than a health drive.
ReplyDeleteI agree wholly. The tax was simply too much, even though the intentions were great
DeleteViviana, I think you bring up really a good point. I never really realized how much pop people drink on a daily basis, an how much they depend on that sugar to get through the day. With the tax being so much extra money, how do you think it will effect the economy? Will it make it better or worse?
DeleteI, like many people, believe the tax was created for all the right intentions, though it was the execution that caused me to not support it. Their intention was to knock out a multitude of issues such as health problems, budget issues, etc., all with one solution. This leads to a snafu as that sole “solution” drastically affects business owners and consumers, it was simply too complex to implement. While I don’t believe in high taxes in this specific case, I do think the taxes were important to maintain Cook County, so my proposition is this: Don’t focus on one sole item to tax, spread it out to a handful of unhealthy substances. This could include soda, but instead of paying, in some cases, 200% of the original price, you’d pay a slight fee. The county gets the same amount of money (potentially more) due to the multitude of items taxed, and the consumers won’t have to pay ten bucks for a pack of soda.
ReplyDeleteThe people who are enforcing the soda pop tax only have the peoples best interest in mind. Obesity is a big problem and having this tax has already proved more people are not buying pop. Even though, there are better ways to help stop obesity, this is proving one way that we can start the stop. "defended the tax as a way to reduce consumption of unhealthy sugary beverages", Coca Cola, Pepsi, Sprite, etc. are all really big industries and they sell a bunch of pop products that are full of sugar and very unhealthy ingredients. The enforcers are doing what they think is going to help us, and frankly I agree.
ReplyDeleteI agree Emily I feel that maybe the little bit of extra money will repel people from choosing these drinks, and improve peoples health.
Deletei think the soda tax is just for money not for the health of the people. Though I think this i still find the soda tax good for the peoples health. with people having to pay a tax on soda more will start to not buy soda and the country could get healthier. But there will still be people that will still drink soda so i think the tax should be a little higher.
ReplyDeleteI read about the Cook County soda tax. This is a tax that adds $0.01 to every oz of any sugary drink bought. To me this seems a little uncalled for, I understand why it would be in Place, but I don’t think it’ll really do the job that they think it will. The goal was to take away a child’s want to drink that sugary drink by making it to costly. I don’t think this will achieve that goal as well as they hope to. This is due to the fact that it can still be obtained and driving out of that county will get you exactly what you want to bring back.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the soda tax is a good idea that will greatly benefit the people of the United States. The article I read was from USA Today, "Soda Tax Goes Flat in Chicago Area's Cook County After Clash Over Health, Taxes, and Sales." I feel that the soda tax is a good idea because the tax will help Cook County, along with many other places imposing the tax This tax will raise the financial status of these areas. Backers defends this by saying that "people would be more inclined to give up sugary sodas because of higher prices." Furthermore, with less people consuming these drinks, the rate of obesity in the United States would decline. The American Heart Association says that they will proudly support this tax to protect people from life-threatening illnesses that are often caused by sugary drinks, like pop. Overall, I think that this tax will be beneficial for the economy, and the health of those residing in the United States.
ReplyDeleteI read the article from The Cook County board.This article states a lot of key facts.As well that the tax is being repealed and will be ineffective as on December.Im glad its being repealed as this tax is ludicrous.There not only taxing the people buying soda but also the retailers who buy it as inventory.This tax is to be raising over 1 Billion $,And where is the money going?In the pockets of the Cook County Board.This tax is to help stop teen obesity rates.But what about the parents of the kids.What course of action needs to be done to stop them.They make more money than teens.So the tax can be afforded by them.In conclusion this tax is very reputable and would be ineffective in the cause there trying to stop (Obesity).
ReplyDeleteI think that soda tax will be helpful because it will make people cut down on soda . This week I read "cook county sweated beverage tax". Having a sweated beverage tax produce shall remit the tax. Also if there is a tax on a beverage that is in high demand then this tax could come in handy. After a while people could demand the tax would be repealed.
ReplyDeleteI think they should repeal the soda tax. I read the article "The Economist" and even though obesity is a problem what about all the kids that aren't over weight why do they have to pay more for soda when it's not a problem for them. It was a very short tax and I'm glad that it's been repealed.It does make sense to raise the price to make soda less wanted but I don't think it's fair for everyone. The soda tax is over and that's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the sugary drink tax is a good thing to have. It Make money for the town while simultaneously attempting to raise awareness about obesity. This tax is not that high either it is a reasonable price. "For example, a 5 gallon bag of syrup will make 3,840 ounces of beverage – at tax rate of $.01 per ounce of sweetened beverage, the tax for that bag of syrup is $38.40." This tax is not on a niccessity of life so the people have no right for them to take it down. With progress like this I think it could be possible in the future to tax more heavily things like creating a carbon tax with an effort to reduce the giant amounts of carbon put into the atmosphere increasing the greenhouse effect. I believe that we should continue and expand sugary drink taxes.
ReplyDeleteI think that the soda tax might have been a good idea, but was to broad. I think that if it had not included so many types of drinks it would have worked well. Take, for example, lemonade. This isn't a healthy drink, but not nearly as unhealthy as some soda. But they take away some of these healthier alternatives that people could drink instead. This is why the soda tax will not work.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the soda tax is taking teen's want for soda to the extreme. I don't agree with this tax since it isn't the price that influences us and society to drink soda but the flavor and sugar we get from it. I agreed with the 15-1 repeal when voting on this tax. The tax of one cent per pound is excessive and unnecessary. the drinking of sugary is mainly dependent on the consumers so there shouldn't be a need to raise the price in order to prevent the consummation of these unhealthy beverages.
ReplyDeleteYou have a good point, but also this tax will help a lot of people rethink their choice on buying the soda in the first place. If the price rises, some of the people won't want to pay the higher price just for the drink, and will go to alternatives.
DeleteI read the article from Chicago Tribune, "Cook County Soda Pop Tax Approved With Preckwinke Breaking Tie Vote". Toni Preckwinckle passed a new penny-an-ounce pop tax that was passed Thursday. Most of the things she says is that raising the tax would help the community financially. In my opinion, I think that its a good idea because less people would be purchasing as much pop there fore the obesity rates would decrease. Its mostly all about the money for Preckwinkle and not as much about the health. This law could actually be beneficial for everybody.
ReplyDeleteI think the soda tax is a really good idea that should be enforced in order to benefit the health and economy in the U.S. Although a larger tax like proposed earlier seems like a lot, it would certainly slow down the purchase of sugary drinks, therefore benefiting the health of many Americans. As it says in the article "Why I Voted to Keep the Cook County Soda Tax", the soda tax would have, "Stabilized our Cook County Health and Hospitals System staffing to meet changing patient needs." Reduced soda sales means reduced heart disease liver disease making it healthier for us and easier for hospitals. Of course this won't stop the soda production and sale, but for those who do decide to pay the extra few cents, those extra few cents could blow up to major profit for our economy. According to the same article, it could have, " Increased the use of CountyCare dollars to reduce the dependency on county taxpayer support to $111 million from $400 million." That's a lot of money that could be used on other more important projects in the city area. Although I can see why people got upset and the act was repealed, I believe the soda tax could have seriously benefited our city as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI believe there should be a a tax on sugary drink. Not only it could help our town to make money but it can help people become more aware o how caffeine can affect our bodies.I read the article from cook county sweetened beverage tax and it says " Every distributor and every retailer shall keep accurate books and records showing all transactions that gave rise, or may have given rise, to any tax liability, exemption or defense to liability." I think we should continue to raise the tax on sugary drinks.
ReplyDeleteI think they should take away the soda tax. The article "The Economist"makes me think even though obesity is a problem, a lot of kids are not obeses and they are getting unfair treatment. They are not the reason for having to pay extra to schools and that is unfair. I think it was a good idea to have the tax and i see the good side of having it, but in my opinion it's not fair for everyone. The fact that they repealed the soda tax helps those who are not the problem of the situation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. it wouldn't be fair for all citizens.
DeleteThe pop tax is a very good thing for the overall public's health. Artificially flavored drinks are very unhealthy and can lead to many diseases and other health issues. In the Article by the Chicago Tribune, “Cook County soda pop tax approved with Preckwinkle breaking tie vote” it states, health advocates saying it would help reduce rates of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and tooth decay. This tax may influence people to choose a healthier drink choice which would improve the rates of many of these harmful conditions. This would also help the state with adding some extra funding.
ReplyDeleteI think that the taxes are unreasonable, because the article "The Economist" says that even though kids are getting obese, it is not entirely the pop's fault. Also, just because some children are obese, it does not make it reasonable to take away everyone's ability to drink the pop.
ReplyDeleteThe soda tax would be beneficial to Cook County and the people living there. Not only would it raise money for the county, but it would also likely help lessen childhood and teenage obesity. Also, at a $0.01 increase per ounce, it isn’t asking much of people, but it would be just enough to discourage people from buying sugary drinks. It’s an optional tax, since people can choose to not buy soda, so it wouldn’t be a forced tax, but it would still help raise money. Although the tax was repealed shortly after it was put in place, it would benefit those in Cook County if it was put in place again.
ReplyDeleteI feel this tax is beneficial not only to the city, but the people living there also. Of course, if people want soda they can still get it, but this tax will make them think about their purchase, which itself may help the obesity crisis. In addition, the city gets more revenue to spend towards other public issues like the crime epidemic in Chicago. This tax kills two birds with one stone, and should stay in place.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Why I Voted to Keep Cook County’s soda tax I agree with the tax on soda. I believe it is doing very good things for Cook County. It is helping with many health problems and it is providing the county with more tax money. This prevents people from buying so much pop which would be good. This would help to prevent childhood obesity. Also nobody is being forced to be taxed this, they could just not buy soda.I believe this tax should happen again.
ReplyDeleteThe soda tax is very beneficial. Not only for the county or the cities, but to the people. It will help them think a lot more about their purchase and it can also help with childhood and adulthood obesity. Soda may be good, but it causes a lot of problems for your health. I think the tax should stay so people will rethink their purchase next time they go out to buy soda, not only for their health, but for their children's health too. In the end, the county will have more tax money, and it will help with peoples health, so it's a good idea to have the tax on the soda since it will benefit everyone.
ReplyDelete