A study appearing in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that adding a 40 percent tax on sweetened drinks in the U.S., while raising over $2 billion, would not yield much in terms of individual weight loss nationwide.

According to the new study, middle-income Americans would benefit the most in terms of overall weight-loss, but the tax would benefit the wealthiest and poorest citizens the least.  And, such taxes are often regressive – the impact of the increased tax on sodas would be felt most deeply by the poorest Americans.

AWMA has long opposed such so-called “sin taxes” believing that not only are they ineffective – as this study seems to show – but also regressive.  Instead, AWMA is a member of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation and is supportive of efforts to promote anti-obesity initiatives that focus on improved education programs and research.