Do we have taxes on gluttony? sloth? lust? anger? I never noticed.
What we have are taxes and other limitations on health-harming substances, like cigarettes, strong alcohol, and even on excessive sugar in certain places. This is not because the nicotine high, or inebriation, or feeling the sweetness are morally objectionable. This is because inhaled smoke, large quantities of alcohol, and large quantities of sugar lead to health problems, and treating these problems is expensive. It's more like a road tax, higher on heavy vehicles that damage roads faster.
>>This is because inhaled smoke, large quantities of alcohol, and large quantities of sugar lead to health problems, and treating these problems is expensive. It's more like a road tax, higher on heavy vehicles that damage roads faster.
This all assumes that the cost of medical expenses should be socialized.
Exactly. The entire society had to shoulder the weight of the consequences of bad habits of some.
Were the costs not socialized, there'd be a bit less of a point to tax cigarettes so much: you want to get lung cancer and you are ready to pay for it, go ahead and smoke three packs a day! But this is not how it works today.
Every major category of goods/services has an effect on a large fraction of society. It doesn't follow that we should socialize the expense of every good/service that fits this criteria. It's absolutely not established that doing so, as a rule, does more good than harm, and we have plenty of empirical evidence that more free-market-based societies are more effective at developing themselves than more socialized ones.
Do we have taxes on gluttony? sloth? lust? anger? I never noticed.
What we have are taxes and other limitations on health-harming substances, like cigarettes, strong alcohol, and even on excessive sugar in certain places. This is not because the nicotine high, or inebriation, or feeling the sweetness are morally objectionable. This is because inhaled smoke, large quantities of alcohol, and large quantities of sugar lead to health problems, and treating these problems is expensive. It's more like a road tax, higher on heavy vehicles that damage roads faster.