Policy brief on New York State - Research Paper Example

Policy Brief on New York Affiliation: Policy Brief on New York A’ sin’ tax is a government tax that is levied to products which are seen as vices for example alcohol, tobacco and also gambling activities. Sin taxes are levied to discourage people from using them without making them illegal and it is also a source of government revenue as they are acceptable by the general public.‘Sin’ taxes have been changing from time to time since the government wants to discourage its use especially among the young people who are divulging in these activities in large numbers.

Similarly, it has helped the government in raising a good amount of revenue by increasing the tax levied on these products. Comparing the sin tax levy imposed on our state is significantly similar as the one levied on other states.2. A sales tax is a tax levied on the sale or lease of goods and services and it is imposed at retail level only. Food tax on the other hand can be defined as the tax imposed on the use of food and its ingredients which are meant for human consumption. Similarly soda tax is a tax levied on soft drinks.

There is a significant relationship between these taxes as all of them are aimed at reducing obesity which is in the rise in the state and also the medical cost that come with obesity. Therefore, as a way of curbing obesity and other health related problems these taxes are imposed.Food is tax is exempted from sales tax whereas soda is not treated as food in taxation thus it is taxable considering the health risk caused by soda or soft drinks such as obesity.3. Considering the adverse effects of alcohol and cigarette smoking in my New York over a period of time, the number of people who are indulging in these risky activities, which affects their health, have been increasing day by day.

Comparing it to other states and also the nation it is posing to be a challenge because the number of people engaging in such activities is increasing among the youths.This situation can only be dealt with by increasing the ‘sin’ taxes to discourage many users of these products.4. There is a weak negative correlation of -0.061 between the overall tax and the outcomes at the state level implying that as the tax levied is increased the response towards the use of those products reduces. Similarly the correlation of taxes at different regions indicate a positive correlation implying that both the taxes imposed and the outcomes move in the same directionThe correlation of the regional taxes and the outcomes shows a negative correlation of -0.

504 and these shows that as the taxes increase on the products consumption on the other hand decreases.5. The demand for tobacco, soda and beer are not affected by either an increase or decrease in the price and therefore this implies that people will continue to indulge in consuming these products even after imposing a ‘sin’ tax. This will affect my recommendation since we need to find a way of curbing their use as they are a health threat. My recommendation is mainly based on the budgetary and public health impact which are key elements in our economy.

Thus, a lot needs to be done to eliminate these vice which is destroying our society, particularly the youths.I would also recommend youth programs that are aimed at creating awareness on the dangers of this ‘sins’ and also coming up with rehabilitation centers to help those that have indulged themselves into this bad habits and they would like to stop.