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" Last month, New York Governor David Patterson proposed a bold plan to close the $15 billion-dollar state deficit: Tax all non-diet soda by 18 percent. That means that in New York, a diet soda might cost $1, while a regular soda would go for $1.15.The so-called &amp;quot;obesity tax&amp;quot; would be levied on top of existing taxes and would apply to non-diet sodas and fruit drinks containing less than 70 percent natural fruit juice. That last category covers several &amp;quot;-ades, punches and certain fruit nectars,&amp;quot; according to the budget proposal. Bottled water, diet sodas, coffee, tea or milk would not be taxed. Sixty percent of New York State voters said they opposed the tax; 37 percent were in favor of it, according to a poll conducted by Quinnipiac University. Even diet soda drinkers opposed the tax by 58 percent! In this slightly awkward YouTube video, New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines makes the case for the new tax. I know I&amp;#x27;m going to get a lot of flack for saying this, but I am all for this tax. I&amp;#x27;m not sure it will change people&amp;#x27;s behavior, but I think it&amp;#x27;s worth a shot. Taxing cigarettes helped bring down the number of people who smoke, so maybe a &amp;quot;fat tax&amp;quot; will work for sugary, nutritionally void soft drinks, too. And while we&amp;#x27;re at it, can we subsidize produce and other healthy foods so that they&amp;#x27;re cheaper than junk food? Speak up: Do you think that unhealthy foods should be taxed heavily? Or do you think the government should mind it&amp;#x27;s own business? Take the poll below and leave a comment! Should There be a &amp;quot;Fat Tax&amp;quot; on Soda? ( polls) Photo: iStock"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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