Any taxes levied on sugary drinks should go to education and treatment and prevention of obesity, a new AMA policy states.
The policy doesn’t take a side on whether drinks with added sweeteners should be taxed, but says that when they are taxed (as a growing number of health policy analysts suggest), the money should be used on consumer education. “Improved consumer education on the adverse health effects of excessive consumption of beverages containing added sweeteners should be a key part of any multifaceted campaign to combat obesity,” said board member Alexander Ding, M.D. in AMA's press release.
Thirty-one states and Washington, D.C., have special taxes on soft drinks in grocery stores or vending machines, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.