FAT TAX
“Fat Tax” Not a Panacea
“Obesity now contributes to the death of more than 360,000 Americans a year. The incidence of childhood obesity is now at epidemic level. Alarm bells are going off all over the place. But our government has done virtually nothing.”- Tom Harkin. Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduce life expectancy and/or increased health problems (Wikipedia). To cut that number down, the Government believes that interfering by raising the tax on unhealthy foods, or putting a “fat tax” as they call it, will bring that number down. However, I don’t believe that doing this would help because the consumers’ choices of unhealthy foods are not the cause of obesity, but only a risk factor that contributes a small part in this problem. It’s more of a combination of things in a sedentary lifestyle that causes obesity, and a “fat tax” won’t be able to resolve the issue.
When we think of obesity, we think of an overconsumption of unhealthy food. The general term of unhealthy food may consist of carbonated drinks, junk food, and fast food. However, obesity can be caused by several other factors such as a person’s metabolism level, gender, genes, level of physical activity, medications, etc. The concept of levying a “fat tax” should be weighed carefully as it has serious economic implications. These are tough economic times for a great majority of Americans and many families are struggling to put food on the table. Fast food is supposed to economical, as well as convenient, and if taxed, would be priced out of the reach of many Americans who are struggling to make both ends meet. Past few years show a shift in the menus of fast food chains, offering healthier options. There would be a great loss to both families and businesses if the “fat tax” would be acting as a barrier preventing people from eating. Obesity is an individual problem that has become
“Obesity now contributes to the death of more than 360,000 Americans a year. The incidence of childhood obesity is now at epidemic level. Alarm bells are going off all over the place. But our government has done virtually nothing.”- Tom Harkin. Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduce life expectancy and/or increased health problems (Wikipedia). To cut that number down, the Government believes that interfering by raising the tax on unhealthy foods, or putting a “fat tax” as they call it, will bring that number down. However, I don’t believe that doing this would help because the consumers’ choices of unhealthy foods are not the cause of obesity, but only a risk factor that contributes a small part in this problem. It’s more of a combination of things in a sedentary lifestyle that causes obesity, and a “fat tax” won’t be able to resolve the issue.
When we think of obesity, we think of an overconsumption of unhealthy food. The general term of unhealthy food may consist of carbonated drinks, junk food, and fast food. However, obesity can be caused by several other factors such as a person’s metabolism level, gender, genes, level of physical activity, medications, etc. The concept of levying a “fat tax” should be weighed carefully as it has serious economic implications. These are tough economic times for a great majority of Americans and many families are struggling to put food on the table. Fast food is supposed to economical, as well as convenient, and if taxed, would be priced out of the reach of many Americans who are struggling to make both ends meet. Past few years show a shift in the menus of fast food chains, offering healthier options. There would be a great loss to both families and businesses if the “fat tax” would be acting as a barrier preventing people from eating. Obesity is an individual problem that has become