TexasMadness
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Fat Tax
This topic has come up in a few conversations around me lately and I thought I would post about.
Fat Tax...what is it? Well, it can mean one of two things:
Fat Foods Tax: It has been suggested, starting in the 80s by Dr. Kelly Brownell, that calorie-dense, fattening junk foods should be heavily taxed. This would make healthy foods less expensive and hopefully then more appealing to the populous. The tax would actually subsidize the healthy foods and nutrition programs.
Body Fat Tax: People would be taxed based on how fat they are. The fatter you are, the more you pay (adjusted for income as well). The revenue would subsidize low income families and wellness programs.
Both versions have the same intended purpose:
- Decrease consumption of unhealthy foods
- Generate revenue for relevant causes (nutrition education, preventing obesity, etc).
But of course, there are many counter arguments to the proposal.
- Big Brother government undesirable (more bureaucracy, infrindgement of personal rights/choices, etc).
- Could affect poor people disproportionately
I've heard people say that this is so far fetched (especially the body fat tax) that we don't even need to consider it. But things are changing. Certain oils are being banned in cities around the US. Last year, Japan began measuring the waistlines of her population, requiring people to lose weight or face consequences.
Other ideas are close on the horizon. To pay for the ambitious universal health care proposals, Congress is looking into taxing beverages with high-fructose corn syrup.
Australia found herself to be the fattest nation last year with 26% obesity. A conference last week was conducted to consider a fatty food tax to help move the nation to a more healthful lifestyle.
And on a smaller scale, services are charging a fat tax to overweight patrons - such as airlines.
Soo...now that I've officially reached my highest weight, these sorts of things seem more important to me...
What do you think?
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6/19/2009, 3:55 pm
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muladzh
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Re: Fat Tax
Having something that would make an obesity awareness would be good - paying for obesity would also be good, though implementing it would be prohibitively expensive.
Why anyone would worry about 'Big Brother' this late in the game I don't know. It is already fully implemented and government intrudes into private freedoms all the time now.
I do not accept the Australia is the highest obesity with only 26% - America is higher than that - it is getting increasing difficult to see anyone that is not morbidly obese in these parts.
Personally, I hope that the efforts I now use to manage my weight are going to work. I have lost the urge to eat huge meals, don't try to snack every ten minutes, am not constantly raiding the 'fridge and often leave food on my plate. These don't seem much, but for me, they are a milestone of achievement. At one point, I would start drooling if I saw food. Now I don't even notice it.
I am becoming excited about the worldwide recognition about dangers from the 'easy' ingredients - easy for the producer, not for the consumer: High Fructose Corn Syrup is probably the most dangerous thing ever put into foods, and nearly everything has it - even stuff you would not assume was sweetened. Very worrisome.
I am over 100 pounds below my heaviest, but still far too heavy - I need to lose another 100 pounds to get to the ideal weight for my age, hieght and type.
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6/19/2009, 5:26 pm
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PerpetuallyCurious
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Re: Fat Tax
The Body Fat Tax will never happen here. That's moves so far from the personal liberties that this country was founded on.... it wouldn't be right to call it America anymore.
I do not like the Fat Foods Tax either (I am absolutley and completely for LESS gov't)..... but I can easily see it happening. If it's done it had better be used to subsidize the healthy foods availability and nutrition programs as you said. But I have so little faith in any aspect of the gov't I realistically expect it'll just go to line someones pocket and to fund a secret "Misc." fund somewhere. 
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6/19/2009, 5:30 pm
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Saijen SilverWolf
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Re: Fat Tax
What about people who have weight issues due to health issues? Some people can't lose weight no matter what they do or try, and most can't afford surgery to lose or to have liposuction. A good chunk of my weight came from a medication I was taking, not food, but then food became a comfort when I was bored, so I stayed at that weight after getting off the medication. What about someone who has serious thyroid problems and can't lose, even on medication? I don't see how it would be fair to tax someone who isn't obese due to over eating or eating too much fatty food, but due to medical problems.
Not to mention, what kind of mental health is that going to create? An obese person is generally already so far down in the gutter for being obese, let's just kick em while they're down and tax them because they're fat.
Nope....I don't like this at all, and I doubt it will come to fruition. Taxing fast food joints that do a lot of fatty foods has been talked about for years and years....and nothing has come of that yet.
I don't think many would stop eating their favorite things regardless of the tax unless the tax was so unbelievably high no one could afford to buy the food. That then steps on the toes of free enterprise in America. Nope.....I don't think it should happen, even though it is supposed be to create a healthier lifestyle.
--- Blessed Be,
~*~ Saijen ~*~
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6/19/2009, 9:38 pm
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KaliMorgan76
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Re: Fat Tax
Personally I think they need to do away with sin taxes and stop creating laws and taxes that restrict or limit freedom of choice - if a person wants to kill themselves with food, cigerettes, etc. let them - everyone now knows the consequences of behavior.
As to the fax tax paying for foodstamps, WIC, etc. WIC is as I understand - structured and gives you what you need specifically for nutrious diet either while your preggers or your child is under a certain age - 5 I think, not sure. And while funds would be great we just don't have it right now and increasing taxes will not help the bottom line just incease the number of people struggling and therefore asking for the help.
As to FS - I have seen some local families use FS and most of the time what is in their cart is fast food related items - frozen pizza, fries, soda, snacks and such. Actually that is in most people's cart so the theory that it could be used to give more money to FS recipients for healthy food is rather silly - your just ensuring they get more junk food without the fat tax[the "incentive" not to eat junk] - only those not on FS would be taxed - which is not fair because it says that those on FS don't get taxed for choices while those who are not on FS do. It has to be the same for everyone or not at all - I would call it descrimination against those not on FS - since they are the ones "targeted" by the Fat tax.
I think we just need to shrink government and free up some money that way. How many of our government officals have taken pay cuts - how many have been laid off? None, but we are being laid off, having pay cuts implimented while government continues to grow?
Let's stop trying to tax food more, cigerettes, trees and whatever else is thought of and just figure out how to live within the means of the people - stop bailing out other countries for now, and get our own into shape - charity starts at home. Then it branches out. It should not be lets continue to give over seas or even just across borders and continue to grow goverment while looking for ways to tax and penalize americans to pay for said government. Off my soap box now. 
Goverment reminds of the the little red head in the movie - shopaholics - addicted to the need to spend regardless of if you have it or not - even using that last emergency credit to spend some more.
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“Never think that whatever is around you is beyond your comprehension, no matter how complicated it seems.
To attain total freedom, learn how to undo the web of illusion that has convinced you that you are not free…”
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6/23/2009, 12:38 pm
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