Why I Dislike Morality Taxes

[talon]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6374JR20100408

Morality taxes are often passed based on the platform that those taxes will be used in prevention and in treating diseases and conditions caused by whatever it is being taxed.

I'm opposed to using taxes to force people to stop smoking, eating, or drinking various substances.

I do support using taxes to pay for treating conditions arising from the consumption of those goods

It angers me when those taxes are imposed on "morality goods" such as alcohol, tobacco, sugar, salt, etc. and then not used for the purposes those taxes were imposed. The sole goal seems to be to extract as much money from the consumer as possible without providing any benefit back to the consumer.

Where do those tax dollars go? Into the pockets of politicians. They are shaking us down as surely as any smooth-talking con artist or grafter and this plain pisses me off - and I don't smoke and rarely drink.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6373X920100408

And here I agree with the sugar producers - obesity is -in part - caused by the drastic over-consumption of high fructose corn syrup. In moderation, HFCS isn't bad, but when it's in every manufactured food, including those that shouldn't be sweetened anyway, then HFCS becomes bad and contributes to obesity. Reading labels is only a small part of the battle people have against the ubiquity of HFCS, sometimes its presence is disguised so people don't know just how much sweetener they are consuming. It's in everything from bread to peanut butter. Tax HFCS or limit its inclusion in food, but don't tax sugar, which isn't abused in the same way. People are aware of their sugar consumption and it's actually gone down over the years. Taxing it at this point is counter-productive.

Morality taxes don't work. They don't enlarge state coffers because enough people stop using the product - or buying it over the state border where taxes and prices are lower that there isn't as large a boost to the state economy as predicted. Worse, the taxes aren't used for their intended purpose - disease prevention and treatment caused by that product.

I say we need to either spend the taxes correctly or end them altogether.