Mexico has a serious obesity problem, with seventy percent of adults and thirty percent of children overweight or obese. Indeed, Mexico recently surpassed the United States to become the fattest major country in the world. We don’t win anymore!
A big reason for Mexicans’ growing waistlines is the country’s national addiction to soda. And so, in 2015, the Mexican government imposed a ten percent surcharge on sugary drinks, ostensibly to curb consumption.
The results have been . . .discouraging. The Financial Times reported over the weekend:
But don’t worry: The public health advocates have a solution. “The authorities in Mexico are being urged [by health advocates and senators] to double the tax on sugary drinks in an attempt to reduce obesity and raise revenue,” the FT reported.
It’s an elegant bit of logic: A new tax doesn’t achieve the end that it was designed to achieve? Why, there can only be one explanation: The tax must not be high enough!
