Tax the Fat

[Ms.Hijinx]

I cannot believe that this course of action has even been mentioned at government level, what next tax the anorexics, tax anyone who puts pressure on the nhs if they want to tax anyone tax the criminal classes and the junkies to aid the nhs ppl that actually do something illegal that needs a penalty especially as our prisons are alledgedly so full!!! Rant over

[Ladyboyg1]

I would disagree that it is far cheaper to eat junk food.Personally i would say that it is far Easier to eat junk food.and although i would agree that it can be difficult to find the time to prepare a healthy meal , it is a matter of priority.

[noxlumos]

You know Pippa you're very right, but people's entire perceptions now about food are very peculiar indeed. A friend of ours, quite normal you'd think, thought it was super peculiar that I taught my kids to COOK (from scratch) as part of their education ( we home educate) and didn't see that as actual "education" at all. Now I think that it is and we cook together various dishes and popular foods from whichever bit of the world we're doing in Geography at the same time to give a sense of essenceof that country, but why would someone perfectly normal and well eduated think teaching a kid to cook is ODD?

[jake-the-peg]

Woah there all - I fear you've been reading the headlines again!

As far as I know the plan was to tax junk food

But of course that's too boring and sensible for the media so they're touting some nonsense about taxing fax people.

I think it's being stirred up by this publicity hungry twit:

http://calorielab.com/news/2006/06/06/restaura nt-critic-proposes-fat-tax-formula/

[littleoldme]

Surely a better idea would be to price food according to the amount of fat/salt/sugar it contains - make salady stuff dirt cheap, and burgers and pizzas more expensive. It's amazing how much easier it is to encourage people when there is a financial incentive - it usually has far more effect than a health incentive.

I speak as someone who could stand to lose a couple of tons myself. :-)

[Pippa68]

That was my thought exactly, littleoldme :o)

noxlumos ~ I am with you there. I am always involving my kids in cooking..in fact for my daughters Food Tech GCSE we had to cook quite a lot at home, which has broadened not onnly her knowledge in food, but also her tastes! I have always cooked from scratch (even our burgers & pizzas) and have found that the childen enjoy the food far more, as do we, when we have prepared it ourselves. My 13 year old son in particular loves to cook and can prepare a simple dish for all of us. He won't eat shop bought pizzas at all.

ladyboy..you may find that pound for pound, it is actually cheaper to buy a box of economy beef burgers and some frozen chips for a family of four than it is to prepare a meal packed with protein & vegetables (especially organic). There is no doubt that this needs to be addressed.

[Ladyboyg1]

I would agree that is would be possible to find junk food that is cheaper , but as a whole good food is as cheap to buy as junk food.It is not always a matter of cost though, if it were then the majority of FAT people would come from the poorest layers of society.however this is not the case, and therefore it must be assumed that junk food is the easy option and is something that needs addressing .

[Pippa68]

Aha...but it would depend on the definition of junk food wouldn't it? a well off person may well go out every night to eat ~ to the poshest restaurant in town, and squaff lots of rich food, washed down with a sherbert or 8. Coupled with the fact that they may well have desk jobs and do beggar all exercise.

In which case, money isn't the issue ~ it's education. Which was my first point.

[jake-the-peg]

Education is limited in use

How much education has there been over the last 20 years about smoking?

Are we all non smokers? No!

[Ladyboyg1]

I would agree totally , education as a concept is fine , in practice it rarely works.

[Pippa68]

That's very true jake ~ and cigarettes are taxed heavily! therefore, if neither education or tax doesn't work what is the solution?

[noxlumos]

Maybe actually there isn't a solution. Maybe people should be given the information then left to be self determining. I'm not sure once you've given them the information there is anything further you either could do or should do. I mean whose to say it's not anyone's right to be fat just because they may use NHS resourses? That would then mean that people who play football and break their legs would be an equal pain or went riding and risked breaking their necks and therefore need quadroplegic care for maybe 50 years would be equally unacceptable, the list of "might be's" is endless and really just leads to more and more curtailing of our right to do what we ish our lives and bodies.

[ali_alic]

With cigs and booze being taxed, I don't think for one min that any of the govts thinks its gonna stop anybody. However if it wasn't for the fag tax . So carry on smoking I say!! Maybe thats what their resoning is behind the fat tax, money to subsidise the NHS.

[ali_alic]

oops. ** if it wasn't for the fag tax we wouldn't have much of an NHS...

[jake-the-peg]

A combination approach seems to be working with smoking, high taxes, education and social pressure and legislation banning in public areas.

Take that to junk food you'll get increased taxation on high calorie/fat foods(sweets, crisps etc) restriction on granting planning permission for fast food outlets and education possibly scope for promoting excercise more.

However you can't lump everybody in the same boat. There are strong genetic obesity effects - OK they don't explain the general trend of massively increased obsesity but there are a significant number of people who are geneticly prone to obesity and no amount of dieting and excercise will make them Kate Moss.

You also shouldn't assume that somebody who is overweight is unfit.

http://www.forbes.com/health/2005/04/06/cx_lrl h_0406fitfat.html

It's more about how active you are than what you weigh

[Ladyboyg1]

But is it not important enough an issue to want to protect children from what could be viewed as a form of abuse.
Lets face it if we saw a parent in the street offering their 6 year old a ciggie , there would be an uproar...but we are all quite happy for parents to inflict a lifetime of disease and health / social problems on their chidren, without batting an eyelid.

[gerkin]

I think it is a good idea - it will motivate me to loose weight and not waste other tax payers money treating weight related diseases

[ali_alic]

Slightly off the subject I know but what are your views on fat people being classed as disabled. Now I know there can be medical/genetic reasons for obesity so I am NOT talking about them - but my partners step mum has a disabled badge for her car (she doesn't drive, hubby does) and the only reaon she is disabled is because she is so fat she can't walk and has all sorts of ulcers on her legs etc. I have to bite my tongue when I go over there and she is tucking into a big plate of pie and chips whilst hubby pops of to Somerfields, parks in the disabled bays, to buy his fags!! Sorry, rant over

[Ms.Hijinx]

No mr tall i am of average size im just morally incensed and dont see what business it is of anyoneelses what size ppl choose to be live and let live if only that could happen!! i actually didnt expect all this response i was just having a rant but seeing as you chose to be a shallow git and not take the thread seriously if they ever tax willies by size im sure you will get a rebate youre not that sr person r u? lol

[Whickerman]

http://www.townhouse.ie/ECom2/library3.nsf/(We bFiles)/1D3288788990C40980256E690056DBF4/$FILE /Science%20Journalist%20of%20the%20Year%20Awar d.jpg
The debate was started here in Ireland, and died after about a second and a half. In the photo above our Minister for Health is on the right.