Imposing a 20% "fat tax"

I think it's a great idea just to make people pay for bad habits, because it puts more money in the government (that I don't have to pay out of my personal paycheck! lol) and if people complain we can always say, "Well if you don't like paying the price, quit buying the stuff you know is bad for you!" But I'm not sure it'll actually make people stop buying food that's bad for them. I soundly believe that bad food is an addiction, and people who are addicted will often pay any price to get their fix. Maybe it will be a good motivator for some people, but I don't expect a huge difference.

I think "junk foods" is a subjective idea, and I did not look at the link yet. I am fat, even without junk food. You can become fat eating large portions of healthy foods. I would not argue against that tax, though. It just might get a family to make better choices based on price. Once you choose better foods you often develop a taste for them. Fun and activity needs to be cheaper. I can hardly afford gym memberships or city pool memberships. It takes a bit much gasoline to drive to a lake. Cities need to make sure they are walker and biker friendly as well. Fat is a function of both food and exercise.

On the surface, one might think it would help work. Give it a bit more thought and it is seen as an idea that cannot die soon enough. It is just another example of people believing that we need the government to show us how to live our lives. The government is sick and distorted and they should not be given this opportunity. Two related failures by the government are the drive to reduce childhood obesity by taking unhealthy drinks and foods out of school vending machines, and the business of providing free lunches (which now includes breakfast and dinner in many school districts) to the minority children. If people will not choose a healthy lifestyle on their own, no amount of government programs is going to make it happen either. Government is not the solution, so don't tax me for another government failure.

I see the concept here....whether it would work or not is anyones guess....they do need to make healthier foods more affordable...like fruit..but will they actually do that? I think not.

I'm not sure I'd like the gov't involved by subsidies (everything they get involved in gets messed up!) but I've been preaching this for years! People with low incomes can't afford healthy food--instead of getting a chicken they can cook for $6 they can buy mac 'n cheese to fill up those bellies much cheaper. Milk at $4 a gallon is more expensive than Kool Aid or pop. Bad choices, sure, but when you've got to stretch every penny til it screams your choices are very limited. I know I make poor choices at times. A Banquet frozen dinner is filling and only costs 89¢ when they have a sale compared to buying vegetables and meat so I buy them when money is tight. I know it's bad for me but when it's near the end of the month and I'm running out of money...

I think these products should be taxes like other harmful products. One of the big problems is that taxes meant to fight a problem end pu being used for other things. Government is not proving to be a responsible manager of our tax money no matter what the tax is for.

They are really forcing us to lose weight and be skinny aren't they? Well, I guess if they tax unhealthy food to the point where there is no choice, but to eat healthy, then I guess that is what many people will start doing, but until that happens, people aren't really going to switch their ways. I find it funny how people are constantly being told what they should eat, how they should eat, and when they should eat, but the thing is that we have people in this country who come from all over the globe and everyone has different ways of eating and different kinds of food. It's very hard to tell people what to do when it comes to eating. If you have to force a tax on junk food just to make people get the message, then that's kind of sad.

i don't like the idea at all-it's unfair because it is a general tax-meaning,people who are not considered "obese" by their standards will also have to pay it. but i do agree the price of healthier food should be lowered-"organic" in particular can be very expensive if you don't grow it yourself.

I think it would work because the more food costs the less likely people are to buy it. I know that certainly is how I feel. I hate that I have to spend more to make healthy foods for my kids when I could just spend very little on junk food and feed us but it wouldnt be good for us. I rarely buy junk food anymore because I dont get the huge amount of food stamps I used to get months back so I cut back on what we buy and except for special treats I do not buy junk food.

JAcking up the price of cigerretes hasn't stopped people from smoking. Expensive liquor and extra taxes on that hasn't stopped people from drinking (been to a bar lately or a resturant and ordered a drink?) those things are nearly as expensive as the meal you just ordered. But people still buy them. I think they would on junk food too. And who gets that "extra money" from the taxing of the junk food? If they'djust make "healthy" foods affordable, I honestly think people would buy them more, but I know I am not alone when I say, I just can't afford "healthy" foods, organically grown foods etc. One junk food is less than half the price of the healthy. Granted, not as "good for you", but you have to eat. Money is the deciding factor. And who gets the "tax" income? The government? THey already got plenty of my money. Plus...I have tried some and "healthy" food just doesn't taste as good as "junk" food. I am sorry, but un-seasoned, un-salted, baked potatoe strips just don't have what it takes to be "good" as opposed to deep fried potatoe strips (I'm referring to french fries!) I"ve tried the 90%/10% "healthy, lean" hamburger meat. It is so dry and tasteless, I literally nearly choked trying to swallow it when I made a hamburger out of it. I tried it in chili and it was again,s o dry and the chili basically tasteless and I tried it in spaghetti. No flavor and dry. And it costs more than the burger meat 80/20 that still has some of the stuff they took out in it! I think it might have a more impact if the fast foods, instead of asking if you want that order "super sized", that they asked "would you like that order "obeseity sized?" Or charge more than 39 cents to over size an order. People are going to eat what they can afford. If they only have $2, they are going to get something off the dollar menu...not that salad that is $4. They can't afford it. I am sure the majority of people would eat better...if they could afford to.

One person already posted above about what I'm about to say, at least the core point of it anyway... I myself am not thin by any means & I'm not going to use "genetic" excuse... I know I could do better & I know I could loose weight if I put my mind to it... It's nobody's fault by my own... With that said, I do know there are people out there, regardless of how small or big of percentages are in relations to the public, that just can't loose weight... Or at least its very hard for them to... Physiologically speaking, word "fat" is nothing more than an energy our body stores to keep our bodily functions going, or keep us alive... And theoretically, it's very simple... If we take in less than what we spend, we'll loose weight... If we take in more than what we spend, we'll get fat... Of course other factors come in to play... Like saying the difference between 18 wheeler tractor trailer & motorcycle... Of course tractor trailer is gonna use more gas than motorcycles... Simple physics dictate that the larger the mass, more energy it requires to operate it... Bigger the muscle mass we have, faster we burn energy... I believe it's called metabolism, a rate in which our body burns energy... Our heart is a muscle, too... Faster it beats, more energy it requires... Bigger the muscle mass, more oxygen & energy it requires hence more circulations... If our body is toned & in shape, it will burn more energy even at rest just to sustain the "larger mass"... I'm saying all this to get to my next point... I don't believe price of the food will have as big of an impact... Of course whenever there's a change, there will be a percentage of people that will change with it so I'm not saying it won't work all together... But as someone mentioned above, you can get fat by eating large portion of healthy food then sitting around doing nothing... I know some people, as do a lotta people out there, that can practically eat anything they want & still not gain any weight... Ok,some due to genetic make up... My brother is one of them... When we were in college, we practically lived on pizza, doritos & soda... After 3 years of "junk food diet", when we graduated, he weighed about 5 lbs more than when he went in to college... Me on the other hand, I gained about 35 lbs by the end of college years...??? My point is, there might be better way of getting the message across than to just randomly raising the prices of certain food group...

I think this is just an excuse for the government to tax us even more.... I don't like this at all. Just because you eat fast food once and again doesn't necessarily mean you are living an 'unhealthy lifestyle'. And then what happens, if you go to McDonalds, and order a side salad? And a black coffee? These things are clearly good for you - would they separate the healthy with the unhealthy things at fast food places? Tax you on the fries but not hte salad? I think that's kind of annoying. If they jacked the cig prices up even more, I would just pay the difference. No one can force anyone into doing anything that they don't want to do... If you ask me!

It already does exist in Hungary (higher prices on food where sugar and salt is added to, also sugar and salt is more expensive.. so in short: fast food is more expensive). Same it is with other kinds of food and our country is doing the same. Personally I don't care much about it, but what I do care about is the fact that healthy food is many times more expensive as unhealthy food is. So this means governments don't care about our health at all, otherwise they would stimulate buying healthy food way more. It's just an excuse to fill their pockets again.

With a tax already on "fatty foods" you really can't see a difference in other countries. People will eat whatever they want, perhaps instead they should stop making refined sugar products, processed foods and allow the "organic" and "healthy" food cheaper, why am I paying so much for low carb foods because I want to be thin and healthy, but it's cheaper for me to buy white bread with all that sugar in it? Because money talks and those companies and their corporate greed will always sway the government. Besides, the amount of chemicals and stuff your "good food" is exposed to is just as bad.

I think one thing that should be considered is WHERE that tax money goes. Would it go to health care? or just to more government spending. Maybe making healthy foods and activites would make it more affordable to BE healthy and do healthy things. Its a heck of alot cheaper to sit at home and watch tv than it is to buy a pool or gym membership...and TRAVEL to the locations.

I think that it might help but the key is to make the healthier food affordable. I have seen that when I go shopping..just as an example...whole wheat bread is $2 a loaf while white bread is only $1. Now that just rounds it a bit but anyway...real cheese can be as much as $4 for a small sandwich sliced package...while processed..well...it is half that. I think that one of the things that plays in to this too is the economy and the fact that people don't want to be hungry. The cheaper options are the ones that keep their children full for longer periods of time although I know what you mean about the health and long term issues.

Yes! It works. :) I rarely buy processed foods. :)

Obesity really is becoming a problem worldwide, and it is a very difficult problem to deal with. I think it is very easy for people who don't, or never have had, a weight problem to criticise those who do, it is not always down to the person's lifestyle but can be a medical or a metabolic problem. However in many cases it is laziness, ignorance or even lack of money that stops people eating healthily. In the UK people on some benefits receive vouchers that can only be spent on milk, fruit and vegetables which does go some way to addressing the problem. However while some junk food can be cheaper than good wholesome food maybe a 'fat tax' would help; But it is education that is needed more than taxation and help to encourage people to eat more healthily and to exercise more. I don't know if we'll ever find the answer to this growing problem.