Issue summaries:
Fat taxes

What is meant by a fat tax?

Sometimes called a Twinkie Tax, this is a sin tax on certain foods deemed "unhealthy." Most proposals are similar to the taxes paid on cigarettes, which are ostensibly used to help pay for higher health care costs required by smokers. The foods most often targeted in these proposals are soft drinks and snack foods.

How would this affect restaurants?

Most likely, this would be yet another tax for restaurants to track, report and submit, adding another layer of paperwork to our already overregulated industry. It is unclear whether foods prepared by restaurants would be included in the tax, or how this would be determined or enforced.

Where does WRA stand on this issue?

WRA opposes additional regulatory burdens for our industry. Healthy lifestyle choices cannot be mandated, but can be encouraged through education about the importance of caloric balance, increased opportunities for physical activity, and increased availability of healthy food choices in restaurants and other environments such as schools and vending machines.

Example:

Fat tax proposals have already been considered in California, New York and a handful of other states.