James Brown: DeLauro beverage tax 'ludicrous'

FOLLOWING IS A STATEMENT FROM THE JAMES BROWN FOR CONGRESS CAMPAIGN:

Yesterday, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro launched yet another assault against the liberties of Americans. DeLauro's SWEET Act would tax beverages one cent for every teaspoonful of sugar that it is added during production. This would raise the price of a 12-ounce can of Coca Cola by about ten cents. Americans pay enough in taxes as it is. They simply cannot afford for their grocery bills to go up.

Democrats present this as a way to fight obesity in America. That is certainly a noble cause, but taxing sugar is not the way to do it. If someone wants to enjoy classic, iconic American beverages like Pepsi or Coca Cola, the federal government should not be penalizing them for their choice of refreshment.

"First we start taxing sugar, then they'll want to move onto salt and soon we're slipping down the dangerous slope to a powerful nanny state that picks and chooses what its citizens can eat." said James Brown, candidate for U.S. Congress in Connecticut's Third District. He continued with, "this is ludicrous and must be stopped. My opponent, Ms. DeLauro, has fought to increase the size and reach of federal government for twenty-four years. She crossed the line ages ago, but now that she is proposing a national excise tax on sugar, everyone will be talking about the government's ever-increasing role in our lives. As Americans and as a district, now is when we must stand up in opposition to unaffordable and unbearable taxes like these that encroach upon our ability to make autonomous decisions."