[smoothbran]

If you're allergic to the word tax, then think of it more as a fee. If you want to sell a soda in the UK that is greater than X% sugar, you pay an additional, relatively small, fee. There are a lot of externalities from having an unhealthy populace, this fee can help to counter that.

[johnisgood]

> this fee can help to counter that

Can it really?

[dluan]

yes this is very basic economics. this is literally the "draw a supply and demand curve" example and intro 101 economics classes talking about elasticity and substitution. or you can model it using elementary game theory.

[sublinear]

Why in the hell would anyone need to pay a tax for this is my question. Sounds like a racket to me. What's next?

[xen0]

How else does a state apply pressure? The health implications are real; this stuff was cheap and available and market forces kept them there.

Cigarettes and alcohol are heavily taxed. A similar racket?

[jowea]

Taxes on alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin_tax

[waciki]

You're not replying to OP

> There are a lot of externalities from having an unhealthy populace, this fee can help to counter that.

[andylynch]

Let’s do alcohol and tobacco. Oh wait, we’ve been doing that for centuries. As for why, most people _like_ a functioning government.