By Up to Date
Kansas City –
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When junk food costs more, people tend to eat it less. That's one take of the fight against obesity.
Last week, Kansas Senator John Vratil, a Leawood Republican, proposed adding a 1 cent per teaspoon of sugar tax on soda.
Vratil says the tax, which would add about 10 cents to each 12 ounce can of soda, could add as much as $90 million to the state's struggling coffers.
Up to Date talks with Julie Salz Greenstein, Deputy Director, Health Promotion Policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington food watchdog group that advocates for soda taxes.
We examine both sides of the debate with Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, an Assistant Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago who talks about whether or not sin taxes work, if such taxes affect poorer populations disproportionately, and what effect sin taxes have on a state's revenue in the long run.
Senator Vratil discusses the legislation, and Al Hinman, owner of Le Peep restaurants in Lenexa and Overland Park, president of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association and representing Kansans Against Food and Beverage Taxes talks about his groups' opposition.
We also examine how research shows that incremental increases in the price of unhealthy foods results in incremental decreases in consumption.
Funding for health care coverage on KCUR has been provided by the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City.
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