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December 18th, 2007
10:44 PM ET
The Price of Pop
In today's show, we told you about San Franciso Mayor Gavin Newsom's proposed fee on some soft drink sales. And you heard Dr. Sanjay Gupta mention the possibility that, if the tax DOES pass, it might get passed on to consumers.
Now, I'm a soda-holic. I don't drink coffee or tea or even juice. But morning, noon and night, chances are a soft drink can is in my hand or close by. So if this fructose fee became law, I don't think it would affect my buying habits too much. But what about you guys? Do you think the proposed fee is a good idea? Would it change how much soda you buy or drink?
I think the proposed fee is a good idea. The additional income will help to offset the increased cost of health care for those that are overweight and obese. However, I don't think the fee should be assessed at the local level. I think the fee needs to be charged to the parent companies (Pepsico, Coca-Cola etc...)
I don't think that an increased price on pop would affect the amount of pop that I drink. I don't drink coffee or tea and I need a little bit of caffeine to keep up with my students.
Yes we think the mayor should pass the tax because soda has too much sugar. Too much sugar can make you overweight. Even if consumers have to pay more, it is worth it.
I think that this is not right. Yes i would change how much pop I Drink. But the only reason is cause my parents buy it and they wont buy it if you raise the price, But then we the students would earn more money to get the same amount of pop.
I don't think its necessary for the mayor to tax the stores that sell pop and other sugary drinks because it isn't really their fault. They are just doing their job. So I really think its not a very good idea, and if it passes, I will be surprised. If they were to tax anyone, tax the product makers.
I think it would help wieght problems, but i dont think they sould have to pay extra money just for a pop.
I don't think putting a price on pop is a good idea because if people like pop enough to get obese then they probably won't stop drinking it when the prices go up. Personally, I would still buy pop, but only when it's a special occasion.
I think it's not a good idea because alot of people don't like tea, or other drinks so they buy pop instead. I would drink and buy less but there is people out there that need to drink pop everyday to stay awake.
I think it would be good for people's health. The price wouldn't matter if you drink three a day like some people do.
I think that there should not be a fee on pop because, like the anchorman said, food and drinks are something that we consume everyday, unlike tobacco. Many people enjoy soda, and it is widely advertised, so we can't help but buy it. When the gas price goes up, citizens become annoyed because it's something that most people need to fuel their cars and travel from place to place.
I drink about a can a day, sometimes more, so I know that it would affect me in a major way. My parents are Diet Coke-lovers, so it might cut down on how much they buy to. My point is, the grocery stores, such as Sun Mart and Super Saver, might be a little lacking of pop sales because of this change of diets in people. I strongly hope that the mayor's suggestion does not go through.
I dont think that the proposed fee is a good idea. When people sell them in the stores they are just doing their job. Even though im not a big pop drinker, it would most likely change on how much soda I drink because we wouldnt be able to buy them in the stores. They shouldnt do the fee on the stores because they arent the ones who make the pop.
i think that the pop over all is what is causeing obiesiting in the country. americans drink way to much pop and eat way to much. they shouldnt make pop go up they should lower the juices price and see if more people buy that instesd of pop. i usually only have three at the most glasses of pop per month. i really like juice and it has made a difference. i feel way more enrgetic and less sleepy. i always am up and ready to go when my little brother is always still in bed and he drinks at lease 28 cans of pop in two days. he is only 9 and ways almost the same as my 15 yr old sister. and i still only way 90 lbs. before i stoped drinking pop i weighed 100 lbs and im only 12.(was 11 when i stoped drinking pop).
I don't think that the mayor of San Fansico should be taxing the store owners on what sugary products they sell. First of all it isn't the store owners fault. And second they should tax the product makers iff they decide to tax anybody. There are many foods that have frutose in them but they don't seem to be bothering with those. Pop is just one of the many foods or drinks that have frutose.
I say they should not charge the stores taxes on the pop because they are just selling the pop. But on the other hand that would also help people not buying the pop if it was more expensive.
Yes, soda is bad for you. But, i dont necessarely think that they should put a fee on it. Maybe they should find a better way to fix this obesity/soda or soda problem. They should not take away pop either. Maybe they can lower the juice or something like that. I know at my school a can of pop is 50 cents and i would rather buy that then buy a 75 cent juice. If it was the opposite then i would buy juice. There is also so many things that have frutose in them so if they put a fee on all those products then that would be bad. I drink a lot of Gatorade and Powerade and i know that those have frutose, and i would not be happy if there was a fee on those products.
I understand that people can take in more calories from these pops and in some cases cause obesity, but I also believe that if people tax pop, that companies will have trouble making any money. I think that if the people that are enjoying pops moderately will have to pay for more than their fair share. It may even drive kids to the petty theft that goes on these days.
The price on pop wouldn't affect me too much but I think it would affect my parents more than it would me. My parents are such soda-holics if the amount of money you have to pay goes up then people would have less money to use on surplus.
I also Think that making the fee go up is a good and bad idea. The good part is that people MIGHT stop buying as much soda. But then again it might not. It all depends on the person who is buying the soda. The bad part is when my mom tried to quit drining her soda she got pretty sick. But when she started drinking soda again she was feeling fine. My point is, that some people need all that frutose in their bodies.
One other problem is that fruit juice and gatorade have frutose in thm to and I don't see anybody making higher prices for those products.
The higher prices may affect how much soda I drink. My parents do the grocerie shopping so they have the control on how much is purchased and put in the house. So it may affect me and my family.
I don't think they should charge. All they are doing is trying to make a living. I do not drink pop that often. Only on the weekends. I think they just need to control there habits.
I think you should band pop.
It should be people's choice to drink pop or not. It should not be the mayor's choice.
i think it's one of those idea's that are ment to have a good influence and do good but in the end kids are still going to buy a lot of soda and there not going to think twice on will this harm me.
Ok so i think that it is stupid to charge the person selling the soda the fee mostly when it it like 7millon or something like that when they are just the middel man i meen if we start attacing the middel man why just pop why not things like ciggarets and alcohol i meen the people who sell it are just doing something they are payed to do just like gas stations selling ciggartes i meen this is one reason that people are complaining about everything to the government , it dosent just effect them it effects all the comsumers the distributers and everyone els if you charge them to sell in a febal attempt to stop the saposative caus of obisity in our youth no affence to anyone they have lost there mind caus it is more then just pop causing obisity there are things makeing things lazzy people accesable take for example the things you can now put on basketball hoops that send it strait back at you things like that not our daily pop intake are the biggest contributing factors to the obisity rate that this great nation is suffering from get rid of things like that and america will go back to the great healthy active way we once where.
I don't and do agree with the desicion I don't because it's not the store owners fault they shouldn't have to pay the fee!!! I do agree because some people do need to lay off some high fructose drinks!
What? Charging for pop (soda)!!! Tat would be so unfair for the companies selling the drinks. Then us consumers might have to pay for it... That just wouldn't be right.
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i think that it is stupid to charge the stores because it is not there fault that soad is going into there stores. they may be for infulance but it isn't his life that is being ruined i am not an obease child and i understand why he would want to help but their not going to listen. it should be peoples choice weather they want to dring pop. and pop isn't bad if you exercise. it is kind of like beer or cigerettes or drugs people get hooked at least it is healther for you than all of those things and also we need shoger to run and they decided that maby one mayor can change all of this yeah right. Obeasity is a bad thing but maby obeasity is caused by more than over eating like stress depression ect. it shouldn't effect the makers either because it isn't there fault that people have adictions to pop they just made pop to darn good also longer gym periods will change that it isnt fair to us people who hace control over things like that for the mayor to take it away. it isn't our choice that other kids and adults cant control themselves. i think that people should be healthier because the obeasity rates are outragous and so are a bunch of other things. One mayor may be able to change the pop rule and stuff but how many people will actually back him up just because he doesn't like pop doesn't mean the rest of us should suffer.
I dont think they should charge more for just a pop. I do think it will help with obesity. I dont think you should drink a lot of pop, it can be bad for you. But i still think they shouldnt put fees on the stores their just selling it.
I dont think pop should get taxed because it isn't the stores fault. The people are drinking it are in charge of how they want to live. Pop is bad for you, but people are addicted. I don't think the mayor should put a tax on pop. People do need to cut down on the fructose, but they could still have at the MOST, 1 a day.
I think that there should not be a fee because kids would be poor and the crime rate would go up. Kids would steal money so they could get their pop. they would be breakin in. Juvy would be huge.
I Don't think that they should charge the store people for selling soda because of obesity. The reason why they shouldn't is because it is not the sellers or the pop makers fault so many peole are drinking so much soda. It's the kids' faulth they are drinking so much and also the parents' i think. They can not control what the kids drink. The only way the kids will stop drinking soda is if their parents jump in or if they want to stop. They shouldn't charge them because they are just trying to get money.
I think that it is a good idea because there is a lot of over weight kids and adults in this world and it might be because they drink to much pop!But i dont think its right just to raise the prices of pop just because of how much the weight increases on some people. Some people may drink a lot of pop a day such as a pack, or some people may just drink one pop a day or not even a pop a day at all.
I don't agree with this process because stores should not be held guilty for what companies are selling. The Pepsi and Coca-Cola companies should be the ones who get fees. Also, there are some obese people that can afford to pay a large ammount of money for pop, so it might not help as much as the governor thinks. If pop prices went up, I think that my habits might change, but pop is not the only fattening food that causes obesity. If they want the percentage of overweight people in the U.S., they should be doing a lot more than trying to cut down pop.
I think that if the tax was passed on to the costomers that it would change the way I buy pop. I also think that the tax would be a good idea because it would cut down a lot of peoples drinking habits. I mean I drink pop a lot but sometimes it is to much and I think that it will help people get healthy.
it isn’t our choice that other kids and adults cant control themselves. i think that people should be healthier because the obeasity rates are outragous and so are a bunch of other things. One mayor may be able to change the pop rule and stuff but how many people will actually back him up just because he doesn’t like pop doesn’t mean the resI know at my school a can of pop is 50 cents and i would rather buy that then buy a 75 cent juice. If it was the opposite then i would buy juice. There is also so many things that have frutose in them so if they put a fee on all those products then that would be bad. I drink a lot of Gatorade and Powerade and i know that those have frutose, and i would not be happy if there was a fee on those products.t of us should suffer.
I believe that they should tax the producers (Pepsi Dr. Pepper ect.) but dont make the people who sell it have to pay more. They should raise the price of fructos products just a little so some people. I dont think that it will effect the amount of of pop I drink.
I don't agree with the mayor because then if he puts tax on the pop then we have to pay more to buy the pop. I don't think he should make stores pay more because they are just donig their job and he shouldn't take it out on the stores that some kids are obease. Their is no one to blame exept the kids who buy the pop. If the mayor wnats kids not to be obease then he should just take vending machines away from the schools and put in healthy vending machines.
think that they should take away the pop.They should ask the people around them because this is just like food. If you want us the people to be voting for you than you need to include us.Dont just take things away.You have to think about the other people.
Some people need to have sweets. I do agree that some times i do have too many sweats but it is ok.
i hope that the bill doesnt pass so that the guy who put the bill in place does not get rich.
I think that it would be a good idea to tax pop but not the store owners just the componies because the store owners are just selling the product its not like there making the pop. It would help people with over wheight problems and it would limite diabeties and more people would have a helthier life and they would feel good about the way they look.
i disagree with puting a fee on pop. just because they raise the prices of pop does't mean that people won't stop drinking it. the people that have become atticted to pop won't stop drinking it. if they would put a fee on everything that could make people obese then we would be left with nothing. people just need to limite the amount of pop that they drink.
I don’t think putting a price on pop is a good idea because if people like pop enough to get obese then they probably won’t stop drinking it when the prices go up. Personally, One mayor may be able to change the pop rule and stuff but how many people will actually back him up just because he doesn’t like pop doesn’t mean the rest of us should suffer.
I agree and mostly don't agree with this process. I mostly don't agree because it's not the store's fault for selling the pop because that's their job. I don't think they should charge that much for the pop because the pop brands might go out of business. It would change the way I get and drink pop. I agree with it to because kids are getting obease from it and it's nobody's fault than the people who buy it.
I do not following the bringing up prices. I know that i would help the people that are over weight but what about the people that arnt over weight. Some people have it to wake them up and some people use it to keep them selfs up. I know that some people have it a lote but i thank they should limite it . So i think they should leave the price as it is or bring it down even more. So i disagree i thank they should leave it as it is
I don't think it is necessary to tax those soda pops because people who like it will probably still buy it or eat other unhealthy foods.I think it is better to help those overweight people to learn to control themselves.
(p.s. I don't drink soda pops, and I'm not overweight)
I think if he wants to tax those soda pops, he should tax all other garbage foods too, cause it's not only soda pops that'll let people become overweight. And convince those people to exercise more often. Or DON'T make any garbage foods. (I am healthy)