Can ‘Sin Taxes’ Solve America’s Obesity Problem?

If you got rid of the 7 percent of calories consumed through soda, would that be enough to affect weight?” asks Jason Fletcher, Ph.D., a professor of public affairs and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who has studied the issue. “The answer is yes, if you take all those calories and just remove them from your diet.” But, he says, “If you substitute those beverages with other high-calorie drinks, then you haven’t reduced your calories at all.”