New York Times columnist Mark Bittman finds another tax to raise: "A tax on prepared food, but not on raw ingredients, is another good idea," he writes.
It's a good idea if your idea of job creation is hiring new government bureaucrats to decide whether a food is "prepared" or a "raw ingredient."
Peanut butter? Unbleached white flour? Bread crumbs? Those baby carrots that come in a plastic bag? Frozen peas? Canned chickpeas? Canned diced tomato? Vanilla extract? Roasted almonds? Raw almonds? Raisins? Yogurt? Cottage cheese?
What about the idea that taxes exist to raise revenue for the government, not as a backdoor means of dictating to people to behave one way (cook your own food) or another way (buy prepared food)?