Fat Tax

[davser]

This is aimed more at the UK where we have the NHS but could be applicable elsewhere.

As obesity becomes a greater drain on resources in the NHS, should there be a tax targetted at the obese in much the same way as tobacco tax is aimed at smokers?

[Timm]

let's tax people with cancer too in the process

[davser]

Most cancers are unavoidable whereas obesity is very much a self inflicted ailment.

[coheneran]

Most cancers are unavoidable whereas obesity is very much a self inflicted ailment.

Huh, and there's me thinking smoking and drinking are two of the main causes of cancer, not to mention too much sun. Silly me.

[AKid2]

Most cancers are unavoidable whereas obesity is very much a self inflicted ailment.

You can be genetically predisposed to weight/metabolism issues. That would make adjusting a tax extremely tough, if not impossible.

[The_Passenger]

I dislike the idea of the NHS anyway, but while health care is paid through taxes, it seems like a fair enough idea. It would be almost impossible to judge how much to tax people though.

[davser]

Huh, and there's me thinking smoking and drinking are two of the main causes of cancer, not to mention too much sun. Silly me.

Guess what!? Alcohol and tobacco are taxed to compensate the public purse for the treatment of diseases related to their consumption.

As for skin cancer, that essentially comes down to environmental effect which the general public has no control over.

What you shove down your throat is another matter entirely.

[Dave de Sylvia]

Yes.

[davser]

I dislike the idea of the NHS anyway, but while health care is paid through taxes, it seems like a fair enough idea. It would be almost impossible to judge how much to tax people though.

I don't think you could tax peoples weighht as it would/could fluctuate. However you could put a health tax on certain foods high in fat e.g McDonalds to try and dissuade consumption. Of course, that opens another can of worms.

[The_Passenger]

I don't think you could tax peoples weighht as it would/could fluctuate. However you could put a health tax on certain foods high in fat e.g McDonalds to try and dissuade consumption. Of course, that opens another can of worms.

I would say privatise helath care, then people could work out their health insurance on a person to person basis (if they wanted to), but the NHS has been around for almost 60 years, and can't really be removed in one go now that everyone has gotten so used to having it around.

Even then, I'm not really sure how you'd figure out how much to charge people, because as you said you can't really work it out on weight. Charging a health tax on fatty foods seems to be the only way to do it, but that only involves increased intervention in the economy on the part of the government, when really there ought to be as little as need be.

[Kurrpt]

honestly, ive thought WAY too much on this subject, and actually made a thread about it over a year ago :lol:



long story short, they thought i was insane

[davser]

I would say privatise helath care, then people could work out their health insurance on a person to person basis (if they wanted to), but the NHS has been around for almost 60 years, and can't really be removed in one go now that everyone has gotten so used to having it around.

Even then, I'm not really sure how you'd figure out how much to charge people, because as you said you can't really work it out on weight. Charging a health tax on fatty foods seems to be the only way to do it, but that only involves increased intervention in the economy on the part of the government, when really there ought to be as little as need be.

My thoughts exactly. You don't want a nanny state but you also don't want a section of society using a disproportionate portion of it's resources, food and health care in this case.

[Kurrpt]

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=340432


check that out for a good laugh :lol:

[Dave de Sylvia]

long story short, they thought i was insane
They might have had a point.

[PerpetualBurn]

We're already taxed for this. That's how the NHS is funded.

Or we could increase the tax to: smokers, drinkers, players of contact sport, non-players of contact sport (not enough exercise), women that don't have enough calcium in their diet (osteoporosis risk), people that use sunbeds (increased skin cancer risk), anyone who does running, jogging, hurdling (risk of sprains or breaks that may need treating), bulimics, and anorexics.

Or we could accept that pretty much ever lifestyle choice predisposes us to some illness or ailment and as such the NHS should cover it. We should also educate people better on how to get a healthy diet because no one has a heart attack, gall stones, type 2 diabetes, on purpose.

[ringworm]

Guess what!? Alcohol and tobacco are taxed to compensate the public purse for the treatment of diseases related to their consumption.
Not here, a percentage, if not all goes toward Highways & Rd. Const. especially on Cigs

[Reaganista]

why wouldn't you just privatize health insurance?

[WhoDidTheElf]

why wouldn't you just privatize health insurance?


/wins

[PerpetualBurn]

If you want private health care, you can have it.

[Reaganista]

well yeah, but what I was saying is when the public sector starts to operate like the private, what's the point of keeping the public

[PerpetualBurn]

Well, I would probably go for that before ridiculous placing of food taxes and the like. The NHS should remain public as it is, though.

[Smokey D]

If it's going to receive any government attention, it should come in the form of tax incentives and discentives further back in the production process to help make companies more disposed to cutting out fats from their products.

It should also be phased in over a reasonable period of time so we don't get massive increases in the cost of food.

[Knifeboy]

Here in Denmark, there's a luxury tax on candy, and the likes

[FungusAmngus870]

A fat tax is nothing but a modest proposal. By the looks of your discussion, it doesn't appear to be something that would go over well/work.

[Against Miik!]

You can be genetically predisposed to weight/metabolism issues. That would make adjusting a tax extremely tough, if not impossible.

People are equally as prone to alcohol or drug addiction. However nobody seems to care about. If you let somebody know that alcohol or smoking or drugs are bad for them, nobody cares, but if you tell somebody they should lose weight, you are a bad person. Obesity is still waaayyyy to taboo in our societies to go as far as taxing it.

[Smokey D]

How is obesity taboo? There's fat people all around us?

Taxing what people eat is far more taboo? Big government and nanny state and other lol-tarian stuff.

[Against Miik!]

How is obesity taboo? There's fat people all around us?

Taxing what people eat is far more taboo? Big government and nanny state and other lol-tarian stuff.

No talking about it is. It's not acceptable in society to just flat out tell someone they need to lose weight. It's a very serious subject for some reason. But telling someone to stop smoking is very casual.