Every year on tax day, I do two things:

1. Drag out the process of filling in my 1040 by surfing the Internet looking for tax day deals.
2. End up fuming because the only things anyone ever offers are cheap burgers and free tacos, and my 1040 still sits on my desk waiting to be filled out.

This year, instead of searching for (non-existent) free or cheap vegan grub, I'm procrastinating by contacting my Congressional representatives and asking them to tax meat (instead of me). There's already an excise tax on things like gas, tobacco, and alcohol, so why not meat?

As the number one cause of climate change and a contributing factor to the high rates of obesity in America, animal products that hurt our health and our environment (not to mention animals) should be outlawed. That probably won't happen, but a tax on meat would at least help cover the health and environmental costs that result from raising and killing animals for food—and (hopefully) it would encourage companies to give away 35-cent veggie burgers and free vegan tacos next year on April 15.

Now, what to do about filling out that 1040 sooner?

Posted by Shawna Flavell

When we heard about New York Governor David Paterson's proposed excise ("sin") tax on full-calorie soda, we were confused. Sure, there are calories to be had in the all-American high fructose corn syrup, caramel coloring, and artificial flavoring cocktail, but does it compare to, say, meat?

To help set Gov. Paterson straight, we're sending out some of our ridiculously cute "Tax Meat" pigs to the Governor's pad today to help him consider some other products to place on his naughty list this year. The politically active pigs will circle the Governor's home in a convertible with signs reading, "Battle the Budget and the Bulge: Tax Meat."

After all, a can of fizzy goodness with more grams of sugar than I care to consider may be linked to obesity, but eating meat is linked not only to obesity but also to strokes, diabetes, heart disease, and several types of cancer, among other conditions and ailments. And with the financial outlook as bleak as it is, nobody needs the added burden of long-term medical treatment for costly conditions caused by risky dietary choices such as eating meat, when they could bank on their health by going vegetarian instead.

Posted by Sean Conner

Two little "pigs" showed up at yesterday's Republican National Convention (RNC) to do a little campaigning themselves. PETA demonstrators—wielding signs that read, "Cut the Pork: Tax Meat!"—posed for photographs with happy onlookers, including these police officers:

PETA's "Tax Meat" campaign calls on Congress to impose an excise tax—which currently applies to items like gasoline, tobacco, and alcohol—on meat in the hope that doing so would help curb America's meat consumption. The tax would cover the health and environmental costs that result from using animals for food.

PETA's pigs also visited the Democratic National Convention last week in Denver. At both conventions, PETA was a big hit, posing for photos and giving interviews to NBC's Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, National Public Radio, Democracy in Action, documentary filmmakers, and other radio, print, and TV media outlets.

Support PETA's pigs by urging Congress to support a tax on meat!

Posted by Carrie Ann Harris

Now that the Olympics are over, it's impossible to turn on the TV or open the newspaper without seeing something about the Democratic National Convention. What's going to happen, what's going to be said, who's going to be there …

Well, we'll tell you who's there—the PETA pigs, that's who!

Our pigs don't have anything to say about any of the candidates, of course—they're tackling a global issue: meat!

The pigs—who are circling around the convention center and picking up passengers in their cherry red convertible—are calling for a federal excise tax on meat. (Look out for them next week as they cruise around the Republican National Convention!) Why? Well, there's a "sin" tax on cigarettes, alcohol, and gasoline. Why shouldn't there be one on meat, which is bad for both your health and the environment?

Our Senior VP Dan Mathews (who, as we know, is fond of wearing costumes) is among the protesters. He sums up the reason our pigs are calling for a 10-cents-per-pound tax: "The impact of the meat trade is as devastating to our health as the tobacco and alcohol industries put together—and even more so to the environment. Slapping a tax on meat would save countless lives—and not just those of animals."

Check out our pigs below—and if you're concerned about the health and environmental consequences of eating meat, check out GoVeg.com for a free copy of PETA's "Vegetarian Starter Kit"!

Posted by Amanda Schinke