Fat Tax

dls06

I just finished reading it on yahoo news. I don't know how I feel about it. Like other post said, It doesn't stop people from smoking.

MikeSEA

You are free to draw your own conclusions, but there were no anti-smoking campaigns, other than the usual ones, going on at the time. Just a new tax; the most recent one being nearly $1 a pack which is pretty significant. When you see a tax go into effect in July and sales climb for a bit in June (hoarding) then start dropping pretty drastically in July, August, September and beyond, there's a pretty clear reason why they've dropped.

Perhaps the ones that quit for that reason were the very poor. When it comes down to choosing to eat, have a roof over your head or smoke, most people will choose to quit smoking rather than being homeless and hungry.

I guess my point is that while I'm free to draw my own conclusions, I prefer those that don't suffer from logical fallacies---That's just based on what little I know of it so far, however.

ShannonMpls

The government needs to stop telling us what to do. It's just another form of nanny state-ism and it's a very slippery slope.... Gosh, I hate intrusive government.

This made me laugh out loud. It's about Denmark - are you familiar with their system of government, demographics, standard of living, access to healthcare, unemployment rate? Their "nanny state" seems to be working pretty well for them

digitalsteel

This infuriates me, there is no medical evidence that points to saturated fat as the cause for any health problem. I have nothing wrong with putting a tax on unhealthy foods. But they are taking bad science and making it more difficult than it already is for people to eat foods that are actually healthy. They should do some real science and put a tax on sugar, corn syrup and all the other crap that actually makes people fat.

123456654321

Of course, I also don't think there should be a sin tax on things like cigarettes and alcohol either.

If I want to shove 60 twinkies down my throat, then that is my choice. I don't think the government needs to penalize me for doing it. I'm already hurting myself.

....but your not just doing it to yourself. When you smoke you are very significantly raising your odds of getting cancer. When people get cancer, often times we pay for it. I understand not liking to be micro managed, but to imply that a persons unhealthy decisions don't effect anyone else but themselves....is pretty ignorant.

Honestly? I don't have an issue with it. I pay my taxes and I'm happy to do so. Taxes gave me education, fed my nieces and nephews when their mom was struggling, pave my roads, take care of the elderly, disabled, and help those who need recovery. Sure my taxes also go to places I rather them not, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. I gladly play my taxes without *****ing about it. With that said, I highly doubt that it will have any effect on peoples decisions to be healthier. *shrug*

**I will add though that I think the butter/pizza is kind of odd to me. I would have guessed they would tax stuff like candy/soda etc... first.

Whatareherthings711

The fat tax is sort of like the smoking tax. The argument is that these folks cost the system more. In the short run, that may be true but in the long run, not so sure. Smokers and morbidly obese people generally do not live as long as non smokers and those who keep their weight in tow. I don't like the idea at all for taxing human behavior. You can lead a horse to water but you can not make it drink.

I think we should be more accountable for our lack of control with our eating habits.

Whatareherthings711

This infuriates me, there is no medical evidence that points to saturated fat as the cause for any health problem. I have nothing wrong with putting a tax on unhealthy foods. But they are taking bad science and making it more difficult than it already is for people to eat foods that are actually healthy. They should do some real science and put a tax on sugar, corn syrup and all the other crap that actually makes people fat.

Agreed.

idauria

The government needs to stop telling us what to do. It's just another form of nanny state-ism and it's a very slippery slope.... Gosh, I hate intrusive government.

This made me laugh out loud. It's about Denmark - are you familiar with their system of government, demographics, standard of living, access to healthcare, unemployment rate? Their "nanny state" seems to be working pretty well for them

Due to a strong trade union movement, wages in Denmark are generally higher than in the United States. Negotiated minimum wage is approximately $20/hour.

Income tax in Denmark, however, is high by international standards, and ranges from 45% to a high 56%.

The flat-rate VAT in Denmark is 25%. Major exemptions from VAT are rents, medicine and newspapers.

The cost of living in Denmark is considerably higher than in the United States. Copenhagen is among the five most expensive cities in the world.

56% of salary to income taxes? No thanks! I rather keep more of my money and make my own decisions related to healthcare and whatever. Healthcare in the US, while expensive, still has some of the greatest advances and achievements. Not gonna happen under social medicine.

VegGrrl

Tax everything unhealthy to the max!! (Cigs, booze, fatty & sugary foods, fast food, etc etc) BUT the money must be used to provide universal healthcare for all.

It would help though if FIRST the gov't stopped all the lousy freakin' subsidies of the corn (syrup - hello!) and dairy industries, as well as big ag that produces all the junk "food" we buy in our grocery stores... But that'll never happen, big ag is far too powerful here.

HMonsterX

It wont change anyone's health. The people who like the unhealthy stuff will simply buy it, become poorer, and claim more back off the government.

It's like the London Congestion Charge, brought in to "reduce the amount of traffic and congestion in central London".

Years later...it's as bad, if not worse, only now each car has to pay £5 a day to sit in the traffic jams. All it does is pisses off the voter. It's a thinly-veiled attempt to win votes, with no real plan behind it.

HMonsterX

Tax everything unhealthy to the max!! (Cigs, booze, fatty & sugary foods, fast food, etc etc) BUT the money must be used to provide universal healthcare for all.

That would be political suicide. They'd be voted out at the first opportunity. And as i just said, people will still buy it, become even poorer, and claim even more back, thus negating the effect.

Crowhorse

I hate the idea that it needs to be legislated but frankly, if it doesn't make financial sense for food processors, restaurants, distributors to make food healthy (profit margins and logistics are more complicated/expensive), then I don't see how else to FORCE the issue but to apply a tax.

The key word is FORCE. You don't force a free people.

That's a dictatorship.

Wow. Just wow.

I think fat is healthy and needed and it takes less to feel full and keeps me fuller longer, so my calories naturally go down. I also think that grains aren't, and I know when I ate those whole grains I'd be famished all day (and trying to eat more of the "healthy" stuff threw me into prediabetes...I ate less meat, ate hardly any fat, ate veggies, have a garden and gained 20 lbs in 2 months).

Now I eat fat, meat, and veggies, and dairy. My weight dropped like a rock the first 4 or 5 months. I have a much flatter stomach. I've reached the point where the weight loss will be slower from here on out.

Maybe I should FORCE the grain farms to grow all veggies that I like to eat. Or how about I FORCE you to give up all your pasta and whole wheat breads because I think it's unhealthy?

Now, I would never do that because I understand that it's none of my business. I can tell you my opinion, but it's not my right to FORCE you to do what I think is right.

LEAVE ME ALONE TO MAKE MY OWN DECISIONS! You have no right to FORCE me to do anything.

We already have too much FORCE in this "free" country as it is.

When did American's become such wusses? Or wussie busy bodies, I should say.

(High pitched whiney kid voice)"But mommy, look at all the fat THEIR eating! Make them STOP!" (stomps around throwing a fit)

Yesterday, I was reading on another forum that someone was asking whether sharing a room with her 2 year old daughter was illegal.
What have we come to!? It made me furious that she felt the need to ask that. There was obvious fear behind it (apparently some family altercation where someone was using threat of government FORCE to manipulate her).

I shared a room AND a bed with my mother when I was 11/12, slept in a communal tent with my entire family over the winter when I was 6/7, and shared a room with my brother when we eventually found a place to purchase. It obviously was a small place. It didn't hurt us one bit, but I'm sure there's someone out there that would find our situation intolerable and would have happily shattered our family because of what THEY thought was best.

Wow, haven't been this mad in a while. I don't like people who think it's okay to use the government to butt into my life because THEY think they are more right than I and therefor can take away my freedom. Yes, putting tax on something is coercive FORCE. I may still be able to buy it, but it steals that extra bit of time in my life it took me to earn that money.

Yes, you must think it's grand to have government act as your own personal henchman. Don't like how someone lives their life? Lets steal their money through tax and/or threaten them with jail time (like one cop threatened my mother because we had my toddler on a safety harness while at a festival...was told we were treating him like dog--have to say that my dog listens better than my toddler)

In fact, I think we're in the health predicament we are today because too many people DO look to government to be their mommy and daddy and tell them what to eat. Because we all know that government isn't full of stupid, incompetant, corrupt people, right?

Why stop there? Lets see what else we can force people to do. Maybe like FORCE them out of their personal residence and bulldoze it down so that some contractor can build what THEY want (you know, because it was good for the community, forget the life of that person that was destroyed. They don't matter, right? As long as it's them and not ME).

Why, oh, why do people look at government as some benign, harmless benefactor?

It is an entity set up for a specific reason, but has grown over-bloated and is full of, ahem, people. You know, people with their own self-interests, desires, erroneous, fallible, and potentially corruptable natures. They are not all knowing, and they are just as likely to have the knee jerk reaction to stuff like the rest of us are capable. They are just as capable of selling everybody else out in the pursuit of the all mighty dollar (in their own pocket).

Just remember, the only one who is truly going to look out for your best interests is YOU (and sometimes your parents).

If you want to help people, be compassionate, not a doormat. Be informative, not a dictator. Help them out, no one is saying you can't. You are free to do that (well, somewhat...heard about the person who was making brown bag lunches for the poor but the government got in the way and shut them down because it didn't have some really stupid and expensive things on it's checklist).

Government will sell you out for a vote or "contribution" (there's a reason I don't buy GE anymore).

Remember, you only like it as long as it's being done to someone else, but eventually it will get around to you, too.

</rant>

Eve1972

Sigh, so much misinformation about Denmark. First I live here...some one wrote " They should do some real science and put a tax on sugar, corn syrup and all the other crap that actually makes people fat" Sugar IS taxed already, trans fats and HFCS are ALREADY banned and BTW only the ubber rich with no debt pay anything near 56% taxes. We pay 30% and my husband and I are in the top tax bracket!

Also the government isn't forcing anyone to do anything. You want to eat crap cookies, cakes etc, go ahead, you will just need to pay a few krones more for the privileged!

JamesBurkes

I find the Government meddling in lifestyle choices to be wrong on a philosophical level - it's just not their job, IMO.

But more than that, how will such a fat tax work? Will Olive oil be taxed? Salmon? Mackerel? What about coconut oil which has high levels of saturated fat but which also has high levels of MCTs?

What about epileptics who need to follow ketogenic diets? Or bodybuilders following carb cycling diets - their BMIs are super-high as many of them are very heavy. Yet they are 5% bodyfat and they eat a lot of fat and protein. Will their "unhealthy" diets now be taxed?

What about people on Atkins and Dukan? My father lost 50 lbs on Atkins and kept it off. He also ended up dropping all his heart and cholesterol meds except the one for arrhythmia. Will he be taxed more now?

On a personal level, while I was on a "traditional" low fat diet, I worked out for 6 hours a week and lost a lb a month (while counting calories). Now I've switched to CKD, I'm losing 3 lbs a week with no other discernible change in lifestyle. But according to the sorts of people proposing this tax I'm eating unhealthily as I eat eggs, mackerel, salmon, steak, beef and other "fatty foods" (along with unlimited salads).

Bad idea on all fronts.

JamesBurkes

Crowhorse - sorry, just read your post.... Very well said!

coatsie79

It is a toss up. It gives lower class and uninformed people a wake up call. Good healthy food is NOT more expensive then junk food. I think this would get everyone to start looking at prices and ways to make things cheaper and healthier in their home. On the other hand it almost takes away peoples right to choose ( almost) and I know that could cause problems and protests.

Crazy! So only lower class and uninformed people buy fatty foods? Give me a break.

Eve1972

Just wanted to also add something since this info seems to be missing in the foreign reports about this tax, that the tax only applies to domestically produced items, so if it is produced outside the Borders on Denmark, it will not be taxed.

GeauxDonielle

I agree with the they should make healthier foods cheaper or help organic farmers out with tax breaks or things of that sort. Also agree with the fact that people need to take responsibilty and quit relying on some one to "regulate" them. It could be the govt is also looking for more funds to help fight obesity, pay for health care costs regarding those issues, maybe they will also put bonus money into accts for education in nutrition. I don't think we need another tax though.

margo36

I find this Fat Tax quite interesting. I'm a Relief Manager in a Bookies and occasional I cover the a Shop in an area of high employment. There some of largest kids around there I have ever seen. The takeaways are very busy around there. They appear to feed their kids on Takeaways. The average price of portion of Fish and Chips is about £5. I can cook up a healthy meal for four for £5 complete with fresh meat and fresh vegetables. I'm probably going to get shot down in flames for this LOL