We recently read a column on Reason.com written by Keep Food Legal Executive Director Baylen Linnekin that we thought was worth sharing.  In his piece, Linnekin points out that a soda tax will hurt business and deliver no measurable impact on obesity:

“Research also shows soda taxes don't work. For example, a 2010 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggested that even an enormous soda tax of 40 percent would not make people healthier.

The study concluded that even that steep tax would be ineffective at reducing obesity among either high- or low-income earners, reported the Wall St. Journal. Its impact would be felt 'only... in middle-income households,' and only then to the tune of one pound per year.

‘[A]s a weapon against obesity, such a tax isn’t necessarily that effective, the study found,’ reported the Journal.”

Linnekin concludes his piece on a note that is indicative of where these taxes have previously failed by stating:

“Let's hope that San Francisco voters have the same sense on this issue as those in Colorado, Denmark, and other California cities.”

We agree.  You can read the full column by clicking here.  And be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!