Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

To the Editor:

Re “Tempest in a Soda Bottle” (Business Day, Sept. 17):

In response to the proposal to tax sugary soft drinks, why not reward good eating habits rather than tax bad ones?

Suppose a new version of the old supermarket-stamps idea, which gave consumers free toasters and so on, gave consumers stamps that could be used to reduce the cost of their health insurance premiums or for the poor, to increase their subsidy for each dollar spent on vegetables and fresh fruits.

Taxing bad food choices at best can have only an indirect impact on health. Rewarding good habits accomplishes the real purpose of the proposal—better health through better eating.

Stephen H. Schwartz
South Salem, N.Y., Sept. 18, 2009

Note from KBJ: There's already a reward for good eating habits. It's called longevity, and it doesn't require that government get involved.