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SALT LAKE CITY -- A proposal to tax caffeine in Utah is being met with skepticism, even outrage, from people who cherish their diet colas and coffees.
"It's like taxing candy. You shouldn't do that," one man told us.
Another said, "I don't think that you necessarily need to tax everything that's bad for you, or someone thinks is bad for you."
The state lawmaker proposing the tax is Rep. Craig Frank, R-American Fork. He tells the Salt Lake Tribune the state already taxes addicted smokers, so why not target a broader-based addiction?
Frank says it's a response to proposals to hike the tax on cigarettes. Those measures failed this legislative session.
This is part of a master study resolution that lawmakers unanimously approved, so it will get a closer look over the next year.
Frank told the Tribune he has seen research that caffeine can cause spontaneous abortion, psychological abnormalities and other disorders.
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
