Taxes

Taxing Sugar and Salt Hurts the People it Aims to Help

By Thomas Walker Following the introduction by the British government of a tax on sugary carbonated drinks in April 2018, intended to improve public health and combat obesity in children, some campaigners have started calling for similar taxes on a wider range of products. NHS Chief Medical Officer Prof. Dame Sally Davies, described by the […]

Sin taxes are taxes on the poor

Nanny-state types know this. They just don’t care. In Britain, Europe and across the world, taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugar are used by governments to try to push people into what they deem to be healthier lifestyles. Indeed, nanny-state policies are infesting Europe through its political institutions. In a recent memo, the European Commission set out plans […]

The fallacy of the meat tax

Bill Wirtz examines the shortcomings of the proposed tax on red meat. In a recent publication for the University of Oxford, Dr. Marco Springmann and James Martin, both Fellows at the Oxford Martin School argue for the introduction of additional taxes on red meat. Springmann makes the case that taxing products such as bacon could save thousands […]

Life as a taxpayer: paying to be berated

The EU’s 2018 NGO Health Awards took place this week where the European Commission recognised those NGOs it deems to be the most effective in fighting the use of tobacco. Bill Wirtz watched what he describes as “an insufferable nanny state love-in”, so you don’t have to.  At the beginning of the EU Health Policy Platform annual […]

Minority leaders in Philadelphia speak up against the soda tax

As the Consumer Choice Center has been keen to point out in several articles and campaigns, additional taxes and levies on sugary drinks end up being regressive and hurting the very people they aim to help: minorities and the poor. Now, minority leaders in Philadelphia, seeing the toll the taxes have had in their communities, […]

We’re taxing the life out of pubs – it’s time to give them a break

Things haven’t been going to well for the British pub industry. Across the country, thousands of pubs have been forced to shut their doors by high alcohol taxes, duties, and other business-unfriendly restrictions from the state.  Even the extended summer and World Cup this year provided little solace to the struggling industry. Beyond the pain caused by the closing […]

European customers would suffer from proposed EU rice duties

Core Tip: The Italian government has asked the European Commission to employ the safeguard clause on rice imports from Cambodia and Myanmar in order to “protect Italian rice growers”. The Italian government has asked the European Commission to employ the safeguard clause on rice imports from Cambodia and Myanmar in order to “protect Italian rice […]

Canadians getting soaked by hidden booze taxes

Federal ‘escalator tax’ effectively hides annual increases, removing discussion from the democratic process Doug Ford’s “Buck A Beer” proposal has made alcohol regulation a topic of discussion again. Many working class Ontarians praise Ford’s move, even as just a gesture, because it showed consumers that help was on the way to stop rising prices. Although […]

Canadians getting soaked by hidden booze taxes

Federal ‘escalator tax’ effectively hides annual increases, removing discussion from the democratic process Doug Ford’s “Buck A Beer” proposal has made alcohol regulation a topic of discussion again. Many working class Ontarians praise Ford’s move, even as just a gesture, because it showed consumers that help was on the way to stop rising prices. Although […]

Germany is delaying the adoption of the google tax and thats a good thing

While France and Spain are heavily lobbying for the adoption of a “GAFA” tax (Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple), also known as “Google tax”, Germany has chosen a more careful approach. Rightfully so. French finance minister Bruno Le Maire began his move towards what was then known as a “digital tax” (now also called “tax […]

Contrary to Trump, the Postal Service needs Amazon

WASHINGTON EXAMINER: The antagonism Trump is showing to Amazon is profoundly misplaced, and if his attacks on Amazon lead to antitrust action, this could spell the death knell for many innovative businesses that have come to depend on the company.

Letter to the Utah House Revenue and Taxation Committee on HB 88

Dear Chairman Eliason and members of the House Revenue and Taxation Committee, I received thoughtful feedback from many of you after I wrote to you last month to share my concerns that H.B. 88 (Electronic Cigarette and Other Nicotine Product Amendments) would harm Utah consumers (especially the most vulnerable), local businesses, and provide no countervailing benefit to […]

Scroll to top
en_USEN

Follow us

WASHINGTON

712 H St NE PMB 94982
Washington, DC 20002

BRUSSELS

Rond Point Schuman 6, Box 5 Brussels, 1040, Belgium

LONDON

Golden Cross House, 8 Duncannon Street
London, WC2N 4JF, UK

KUALA LUMPUR

Block D, Platinum Sentral, Jalan Stesen Sentral 2, Level 3 - 5 Kuala Lumpur, 50470, Malaysia

OTTAWA

718-170 Laurier Ave W Ottawa, ON K1P 5V5

© COPYRIGHT 2025, CONSUMER CHOICE CENTER

Also from the Consumer Choice Center: ConsumerChamps.EU | FreeTrade4us.org