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Nassau County Executive Pushing Fast Food Tax

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Jun 22, 2009 3:18 am US/Eastern

Nassau County Executive Pushing Fast Food Tax

NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y. (CBS) ― Eat healthier, or pay the price.

As the economy suffers, so do local governments. Now, one Nassau County official is hoping to feed the budget by taxing what you choose to eat for dinner.

Eating fast food can not only add inches to your waistline – it might also add millions of dollars to Nassau County's coffers.

County executive Tom Suozzi is proposing a two percent sales tax on fast food as part of his "Healthy Nassau" initiative.

"There's enough tax on everything, [we] don't need no sales tax on fast food," New Hyde Park resident Frank Cascmiro says.

"The economy is not doing that well and tax revenues are down, so as long as it's temporary, but very few things are temporary," Ken Gee, of Garden City, says.

The two percent tax would be added on top of the 8.6 percent sales tax already in place. It would also bring in a projected $11.8 million to the 2010 budget.

But some say this tax would be unfair and impact people with low incomes.

"If you're only targeting fast food, you're obviously setting it apart from everything else, so yeah – I think its a little bit unfair," Fred Carrini says.

"With everything that's up right now, with gas prices and everything, [even] two percent, anything would kill us," West Hempstead resident Wayne Pietrovito says.

The proposal requires state authorization, which county officials admit is unlikely.

Suozzi's office released a statement: "The fast food tax is a completely speculative doomsday plan that will only see the light of day if the economy continues to tank."

The tax would not in pertain to independent pizza and Chinese restaurants.

It's unclear if the healthier menu options, like salads, would also be taxed at fast food restaurants.


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