Contact:
Lindsay Rajt 757-622-7382

PETA members wearing pig costumes and armed with signs that read, "Tax Meat," will appear at campaign events in the early primary states.

For more information, please visit PETA's Web site TaxMeat.com.

As a 501(c)(3) charity, PETA does not support or oppose any candidate for public office and does not support or oppose any political party.

A copy of PETA's letter to the presidential candidates follows.

December 18, 2007

Dear [Candidate],

On behalf of PETA and our more than 1.8 million members and supporters, I'm writing to inform you of a proposal that would help stop global warming, reduce Americans' health-care costs, and bring much-needed revenue to the federal government: a 10-cent-per-pound excise (or "sin") tax on every pound of chicken, turkey, pig, fish, and cow flesh sold in grocery stores and restaurants.

As you know, the sale of tobacco, alcohol, gasoline, and luxury vehicles are all taxed by the federal government because of their negative environmental or health consequences. Meat, however, has gotten off tax-free thus far, which is illogical considering the following:
· Meat is the number one cause of global warming, which threatens the United States with billions of dollars in damages from rising sea levels, worsening storms, and increased droughts. According to a 2006 United Nations report, the meat industry emits 40 percent more global warming gases than all the cars, trucks, SUVs, Hummers, planes, and ships in the world combined. A tax on meat would both discourage meat consumption and help recoup some of the environmental costs associated with meat production.
· Meat is a leading contributor to many of the worst health problems America faces. According to the American Dietetic Association, vegetarians are less prone than meat-eaters to become obese or develop heart disease, certain types of cancer, and diabetes. For the same reason we put excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol, we should have one on meat.

With our proposal, a typical meat-eating family of four would only pay about $5 per month, and a chunk of that would likely be absorbed by the large meat companies. (And if a family did replace some of their meat consumption with healthy vegetarian foods, they would likely save hundreds or thousands of dollars in medical expenses over time as their health improved.) Revenue from a meat tax could be used to fund educational programs about the health and environmental benefits of reducing meat consumption.

Global warming and rising medical costs are two of America’s greatest problems, and a "sin" tax on meat could be a great step toward alleviating them.

Sincerely,

Bruce Friedrich
Vice President