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Argumentative Essay: Sin Taxes Are Positive for Society

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Argumentative Essay: Sin Taxes Are Positive for Society
Governments Should Tax Sin Products Higher

In our country, the government has traditionally taxed some goods at a higher rate or at an additional rate. They do this to products called sin products, like cigarettes and alcohol. The government does this as a way to discourage the abuse or over use of these products. Recently, governments have tried to raise taxes on other products like large, sugar-filled soft drinks and junk foods. There has been opposition to raise taxes on soft drinks and snack foods, but it is a good idea. There is evidence that these taxes can reduce the number of people who purchase these items. Therefore, the added cost can help people be make better choices and be healthier. Sin taxes are something that governments have been doing for hundreds of years. They have existed since the 1600’s in England and started in the United States during colonial times. The government taxes products like alcohol and cigarettes to increase the price and decrease demand. The hope is that the increased cost will stop people from buying the products or cause them to buy less of the product. Governments especially hope that it will stop kids from buying these products because they are too expensive. If prices are raised on junk foods and sodas, it would cause people to buy less of them. This would be especially true of kids because they have less money to waste. Kids have to rely on their allowances to make purchases and they would think twice before using it to buy expensive snacks. The healthier, lower-priced snacks would be more affordable and encourage kids to make better choices. The higher cost of cigarettes and alcohol discourage younger people to start using these products and can even cause some existing users to quit. Governments hope that increasing taxes on junk foods will have the same effect. Sin taxes can cause heath care costs to decrease because they force people to stop doing things that hurt their bodies. The tax is a

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