Would heavy taxes on sugar decrease obesity?

It's a well known fact that foods high in sugar content cause insulin resistance, inappropriate increase in appetite, obesity, and type II diabetes.

"Food and drinks high in sugar should be taxed just like cigarettes, say economists who believe it is the only way to combat the global crisis in obesity."
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn97...

But I wonder if this kind of taxation would work? As long as people can buy cheap sugar at the grocery store, they can make contraband cakes and sweet drinks at home and gross out on them just like before.

But people cannot easily make concentrated and refined sugar at home. And I wonder if it's the sugar itself that needs to be taxed?

taxing sugar is silly. Sugar comes in a lot of different forms, and eventually that would mean that a lot of things are taxed not just sugar.

Sugar, like fat, taste good and are promoted strongly, it's a marketing ploy, but now they've found that diet cola has as many calories as regular cola, and now they've removed cola from the school cafeterias to replace it with fruit drinks that have just as many calories and just as much sugar in them,

The answer is that the body needs sugar, just that people need to get a grip and need balance in their food intake.
Taxing any food is ridiculous, but maybe the federal or state are looking for "additional" ways to make money. I have a question...would you consider taxing all things that sugar is in so that you could have social security benefits at old age?

I believe it would just turn obese people into poor people as well.

no, then you'd have really fat, poverty stricken losers.

Not for the sugar lovers.

Probably.

But wars have been fought over this very issue, and remember what they say about hose who do not learn from the past...

No. Skinny people eat sugar too.

No, it would only inflate the cost of sugar related poducts.
We really do no need another food nanny government solution. What we need is people keeping more of their money and taking responsibility for themselves.

Why stop at sugar? Why not heavier taxes on alcohol? You remind me of that guy who tried to sue McDonalds for making him fat. It's free will. People have to make the choice,NOT the government.

Why sugar? There are plenty of things that dont have sugar that can cause you to gain weight. Gaining weight could also come from carbs and fats. In turn the price on almost EVERYTHING would rise because of so many things that have sugar in them but aren't exactly sweet.

Examples fo things with sugar that aren't sweet:

Bread
BBQ Sauce
some salad dressings
wine/beer

the list could go on and on

Even the price of artificial sweetener would rise because it would be in higher demand...you think those companies are going to miss making a buck?

If they heavily taxed sugar, it would only screw EVERYBODY in some way or another, even if you didn't eat sweets or drink sugary drinks.

just like cigarettes, people are addicted and will pay whatever to get it. oh and gas too LOL