This time, it’s a sugary beverage tax.
Whenever a government proposes a tax that will punish an unpopular subset of the population while claiming to benefit a more popular cause, it’s just a ruse. The goal is a tax, nothing more. And while it may appear that the tax will go towards a good cause that needs additional funding, there is usually nothing to prevent the government from reducing existing funding by an amount equal to the new tax. This has the effect of putting the tax revenue into the general fund, leaving the government free to spend it on whatever they like – including things for which you would not have approved a new tax. Beginning to see how this scam works?
And next time, it might be you who is the unpopular subset of the population being taxed.