TAXING SUGAR A Sweet Idea Sugar Tax Overview
- Slides: 7
TAXING SUGAR A Sweet Idea?
Sugar Tax Overview ■ Philadelphia is among one of many cities that have decided to tax food/beverages with high sugar content: Boulder, CO; Oakland, CA; Seattle, WA ■ The city issued major tax on artificially sweetened beverages: At a 1. 5 cent tax for every ounce of a drink. ■ Why? – The tax would encourage major changes in the health of the city’s citizens – Tax revenue from the sugary beverage sales fund pre-k programs, libraries, parks, and many other services. ■ Why not? – Many business owners angry: Some sales of beverages decrease by 50% – Some argue that the tax disproportionately affects citizens from a lower socioeconomic status
SO… WHAT DO YOU THINK? Deliberative Dialogue Discussion
Deliberative Dialogue: Thinking Together ■ Split up into small groups for a discussion. ■ The idea is to work towards understanding, rather than the “correct” answer. ■ Group norms: – Listen actively and attentively. – Ask for clarification if you are confused. – Do not interrupt one another. – Challenge one another, but do so respectfully. – Critique ideas, not people. – Build on one another’s comments; work toward shared understanding. From Carnegie Mellon’s Ground Rules
Discussion Prompts: Exploring the The tax has created a great divide in Philadelphia, with the question of its legality making it all. Issue the way to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Briefly discuss together: ■ What are other reasons to implement/ban a sugar tax? ■ Should law makers be able to tax what citizens privately consume? ■ The government passes laws about wearing safety belts, why not sugary beverages? What’s your stance on this issue? Share your thinking. ■ Implement sugar taxes. ■ Ban the implementation of sugar taxes. ■ A sugar tax should be implemented in certain situations/communities. If so, who would get to decide?
Debrief ■ Any parts of the discussion surprise or resonate with you? ■ What did you learn from hearing another person’s perspective? ■ What actions can you take to influence this issue?
Taking action: In what way do citizens, elected officials, ballots, and voting, have influence over the sugar tax?
