World's First Junk Food Tax May be Introduced in Taiwan
We've heard proposals of "junk food taxes" in America and other countries over the past couple of years, but none have yet been introduced.
Taiwan may be set to become the first country with an extra levy on unhealthy food.
The Bureau of Health Promotion in Taiwan is drafting a bill which would see a special tax on foods containing high quanities of sugar and fat, and on alcoholic drinks.
Taiwain is experiencing the same weight problems as much of the world, with a reported 25 - 30% of children being obese. If the tax is approved by the Taiwan government, it could go into effect in 2011. Revenue from the tax would be used to promote health awareness, or to support Taiwan's national health insurance program.
If this tax goes ahead, it may pave the way for other governments to introduce similar taxes.
What do you think about this? Is a junk food tax a way for governments to directly and effectively tackle the obesity crisis? Or, is it unnecessary interference from a nanny state? Would you (or your kids) eat fewer "bad" foods if they cost more?
Source: AFP - Taiwan mulls world's first junk food tax: report
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Created / Updated: December 28, 2009
As long as "fat" isn't taxed. Science has shown that eating the right kinds of fat promotes health and encourages healthy weight loss. Taxing trans fat would be OK, but taxing saturated fats would be the absolutely wrong way to go. Saturated fats have nourished humans for all of their existence. Butter is made by churning cream Lard is made by rendering a pig's fat. Both of those can be done using naturally raised animals. Soybean oil is made in a chamber out of genetically modified crops. How can we be certain that the latter is healthier, or that our body has any concept of what to do with it? Why would we even presume that it is?
ReplyI'm with fitjerk. I'm all for people eating healthy and certainly try to myself, but if they don't want to and can afford to buy junk food, then who am I (or the government) to try and interfere with a person's right to enjoy a cholesterol laden double hamburger & fries if they want to.
ReplyWhat about sweet tax in Denmark? As far as I know, they've already decided to tax sweets beginning 2010: http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2009/11/17/denmark-to-impose-sweet-tax/
ReplyI personally think it's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of to try and combat the obesity problem. You can be a very healthy and fit person and still enjoy junk food. I'm 5'3", 105 lbs with 17% BF and I routinely eat gummi bears and pork rinds. Why should I have to pay extra for them if I'm not obese? Would the tax only apply to snack purchasers that are obese? What exactly would constitute "junk food"? Some people think pork rinds are junk food but others consider them a healthy snack. Why not do something universally beneficial like subsidize produce farmers so that everyone can afford healthy fruits and veggies so they're more likely to buy apples as a snack instead of Cheez Doodles?
ReplyThin people can eat an excess of junk, as well. Some of the Asian countries have a problem with thin but too high a precentage body fat among their population
The junk is never good for you.
And if you are not eating them in excess, then it's hardly going to be cost-prohibitive. An occasional tax doesn't hurt anyone.
ReplyI see nothing wrong with a small tax (less than sales tax) on high-sugar foods even here in the U.S.
ReplyI think we need to tax statist control freaks who feel the need to push around their fellow human beings by taking their income to try and goad them into a lifestyle that the statist control freaks think is superior. What unabashed arrogance. Eventually free thinking rationalist freedom lovers will rise up and crush this kind of nanny state fascism.
ReplyThey already have a junk food tax in Chicago.
ReplyThey had a "snack tax" in Maine for a 9 years until it was repealed in 2000. One of the arguements against the tax was that it put a heavy burden on poor individuals who purchase a high percentage of cheap "snack foods".
ReplyAnother excuse for world governments to rip off more of our incomes. With the carbon trading fiasco looming as another way to pilfer our earnings these bloated beauracrats have nothing else better to do other than work out ways to ease of increasing amounts.
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