Dr. Ayala Laufer of Herbal Water opens a what she calls a ‘can of worms’ here by suggesting a junk food tax. She and the comments I have read seem to support the idea that this will send a strong message. Indeed, I would have to agree. Many kinds of junk foods are not charged sales tax which gives the impression that they are actually food. Such a tax would send a message that might think someone think twice about picking up that extra ‘bag of chips’.
In addition to sending a strong message, such a tax would product extra revenue. It would increase state revenue at a time when it is most needed. Where I live, the sales tax is 9% and if I am correct, junk food is one of the biggest selling food items. That might even solve a budget problem singlehandedly!
The tricky part of course is defining what is junk food and what is not. Someone would have to establish a line between real food and junk food. That line would probably be drawn on the basis of nutritional value since that is measurable. I know this has been tried before and that was where they got stuck. It’s particularly sticky when you get to products like those fruit, nut, and grain bars which admittedly do have some food value but they usually also have sugar to make them taste good. So where to draw the line?

