Response: Should we be taxed on sugary beverages?

I'm going to have to disagree with you, if they can tax cigarettes and alcohol, they should be able to tax soda and other foods that are potentially harmful to your health. I acknowledge that cigarettes and alcohol are much more damaging to health but a much larger population drinks sodas as opposed to smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol. Today Soda is filled with artificial chemicals and sweeteners and if you are drinking 6 or 7 soda's a day the damage is very real, not to mention its influences on childhood obesity. So it is my opinion that if the government is going to restricted any potentially harmful product such as cigarettes or alcohol they have the right to do it to soda as well.

Source of original argument: The New York Times, Proposed Tax on Sugary Beverages Debated