Fat Tax?

[daylily]

I just saw a story on the Today show about how New York state is considering putting a tax on fatty junk foods in order to curb obesity. What do you think? IMO, this measure is misguided since it will hurt the poor the most, will not discourage people who really want junk food from buying it, and because consumption of*fat* is not necessarily the culprit behind the obesity epidemic. Not to mention the fact that the government shouldn't try to meddle with what people chose to eat. Junk food is bad for me, but I don't need the government to protect me from it.

OTOH, from what I hear from my family in NY, the state is in desperate need of revenue. Is this a fair way to get it?

Opinions?

[EFmom]

I live in NYS. I think this tax proposal will go nowhere, and I think the congressman sponsoring it really knows that in his heart. I heard him on NPR yesterday. What he's trying to do is to raise the profile of the issue.

I can see a big problem defining "junk food." Is everything sold at McDonalds junk food? I think they sell some salad type things. Do they get taxed? How about a plain hamburger? In the supermarket are baked tortilla chips OK, but fried are taxed? By the time the food industry gets done lobbying this one, I'm sure pork rinds will be considered health food.

I think it's a well intentioned idea. What I don't want to see are more regulations aimed at schools mandating nutrition education and more gym classes without funding to pay for it. And where this funding comes from, I'm not sure, given the pathetic state economy. As the spouse of a teacher, I also think the schools are already expected to do too much that really ought to be handled at home. There are only so many hours in the day, and I'd rather my kids were studying math and science during those school hours.

[Arduinna]

I don't know, has the extra tax reduced smoking? It's the same theory. Personally, I don't support extra taxes for the sole purpose of swaying peoples decisions. I think it treats us like we are children and doesn't get at the root cause of the behavior anyway.

[JessicaS]

I think teaching people how to prepare healthy low fat meals would be much better than taxing them on the fatty foods.

[TiredX2]

I just don't see how they could even impliment this and somehow get it to be *junkfood* that was affected. It wouldn't touch things like candy (high sugar) but would totally get: full-fat yogurt, formula, whole milk, many kinds of beef, etc... Doesn't make sense to me, since as another poster mentioned, its not necessarily the *fat* that leads to a bad diet.

Kay

[InfoisPower]

I see this as an effort to interfere in personal lives. What makes a food fattening, the type of food or the quantity? Will they tax quantity as well? Genetics play a role, that's fact as obese mice and two Saudi children have shown us. Who decides what foods get taxed? Who benefits? Who doesn't? Where does it end? I'm tired of the government nannies trying to outlaw or tax certain behaviours and choices made by those considered adult and fully informed for "their own good". I don't need a nanny especially one that stands to gain monetarily.

[kama'aina mama]

Good points all. Let's face it, if The State really cared about the health of it's citizens evry childs public education would include ongoing, useful information about good nutrition, the availability of healthy food while at school and a healthy approach to physical exercise. Instead we teach nothing about nutrition, eliminate PE so they can cram for pointless standard testing and feed them junk food.

It's all about the money and they are just going to have to find it somewhere else.

[daylily]

I think we're all agreed that as a way to cure obesity, this plan would be a failure. But as a source of revenue for a state that's in trouble--it's not such a bad idea. (Except for the fact that the poor would carry the burden with such a tax.) Cigarettes and gasoline are already heavily taxed in NY. Maybe junk food is the new frontier of sin taxes.

As far as levying a tax to cure obesity, maybe taxing gasoline would be more effective because it might encourage people to bike or walk.