(Alexandria, VA) – Today, the 362,000 member National Taxpayers Union (NTU) announced its strong support for the “Free Sugar Act of 2011”, introduced by Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN). In a letter to Sen. Lugar and his colleagues in the U.S. Senate, NTU emphasized that the manipulative web of federal sugar policies drastically increases the price of sugar, costing American jobs, driving companies out of the U.S., and burdening consumers with higher prices and fewer choices.
The Free Sugar Act would dismantle the scheme of quotas, price supports, and punitive tariffs that combine to force Americans to pay as much as twice the world price for sugar.
A 2005 study by the U.S. Department of Commerce showed that 3 jobs were lost for every 1 saved by these meddlesome policies. America’s candy companies are shutting down domestic facilities or moving abroad, continuing the decline of industry in the U.S.
Furthermore, these policies hit consumers at home by driving up the costs of food and beverages. In the midst of a world-wide increase in food prices, these added costs are crushing to American families.
Regardless of the scientific debate over high-fructose corn syrup, the hot-button issue highlights a lack of choice consumers face due to oppressive federal policy towards sugar.
NTU Vice President of Government Affairs Andrew Moylan said, “Americans should be able to make up their own minds on what they eat and how much they’re willing to pay for it. They should not have their choices artificially restricted or dictated because government has rigged the marketplace.”
“Sugar policies may benefit a select group of producers, but they exact a terrible toll on the economy as a whole,” Moylan concluded. “The Free Sugar Act is a bill whose passage is long overdue.”
The 362,000-member NTU is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working for lower taxes, smaller government, and economic freedom at all levels. More information on NTU’s work, is available at www.ntu.org.