Taxing junk food: Would it work?

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Opinions are fiercely divided on the matter of whether the government should tax snack cakes, potato chips, sugary colas and the like to get us to consume fewer of these kinds of items -- a ‘sin’ tax, if you like, similar to the kind we have on cigarettes. You have to read only the comments made to an earlier post by Melissa Healy to get a sense of what some Americans seem to think of the idea.

But setting aside ideological issues and whether money thus raised could be used for public health campaigns or healthcare, would such taxes work to help us change our snacking habits and shed lard? Times staff writer Karen Kaplan decided to take a look at that issue. (Read the article.)

She found that the issue is complicated and that there are reasons what worked for cigarettes may not work for junk food.

What do you think? Post your comments below.

-- Rosie Mestel