ST Alpha - "sure, but the data shows that they actually do work at reducing consumption across incomes." (Reading a Post)

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In response to "Deterrence taxes like the soda tax, the cancerstick tax, and the carbon tax, only serve to deter and demean the poor." by Beryllium

sure, but the data shows that they actually do work at reducing consumption across incomes.

Posted by mafic Jun 8 '16, 20:27

less so amongst the rich, but it still works. also, if consumption is correlated with income the way smoking tends to be, it's arguably a better way to broadly reduce consumption.

as always, the economist says it better than me. (www.economist.com)

Responses:

because while people with lower incomes pay a larger share of their income as tax, they also are less able to afford the tax, and reduce consumption - mafic Jun 8, 20:31 6
- To summarize your IM, it is for their own good. -- nm - Spawn Jun 8, 21:07 3
  - [deleted]
  - Everyone likes individual choice as an idea, but people (not just some people, but people) make pretty lousy decisions. -- nm - Roger More Jun 9, 05:00
  - for the state's good as much as that. they have an interest in people not dying of preventable disease, particularly if they're paying for it. -- nm - mafic Jun 8, 21:18
- I always wonder if the argument about it being a tax on the poor is nothing more than a cynically clever argument created by the pop and cigarette com - . Jun 8, 21:05 1
  - Who do you think is funding the anti-tax ads here? -- nm* - znufrii, dad. Jun 9, 06:33

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sure, but the data shows that they actually do work at reducing consumption across incomes.

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