The Junk Food Tax
The government is looking for more ways to make money as the economy continues to deteriorate. In the State of New York the current governor David Paterson has come up with some very interesting ideas to generate additional revenue. One of his ideas was to tax ipod music downloads as a way to create more tax income. However, the most interesting idea that he came up with was something called the “Obesity Tax”. The “Obesity Tax” would add an additional tax on certain items like non diet sodas and candy. Could this be a way to force Americans into eating properly or is this proposition another tax injustice?
It is estimated that seven out ten people in the United States is overweight. It is not hard to be considered obese. Any male that is in excess of 25% body fat is considered obese. A female whose body fat is in excess of 33% is also considered obese. This should not come as a surprise. For too many years our country has been living on fast food, pizza and sugar filled drinks. Furthermore, the sedentary lifestyles that most people lead increase chances of becoming over weight as well. Children do not go outside and play as we used to. Video games have replaced swing sets as the primary means of entertainment for our kids. Although, there many who argue that video games help improve hand eye coordination, the bottom line is that they keep children in front of the television eating snacks. The same goes for adults. The more time you spend in front of the television the more junk you are likely to eat.
David Paterson’s idea would bring about more awareness as to the dangers of eating unhealthy. Perhaps many parents would not buy their children so much junk food if they know that they are being taxed a “junk food tax”. Tobacco and alcohol has faced additional taxes for many years. These are items that are unhealthy and considered addicting as well. Junk food on the other hand is just as bad and can also be just as addicting. Just like alcoholics and drug addicts, there are many people who are food addicts. Food addicts drown their sorrows in ice cream much like an alcoholic seeks solace from a bottle of booze. Obesity is also a leading cause of heart disease; just like smoking.
Do I think it would be a good idea to impose additional taxes on junk food items like non diet sodas and candy bars? The answer is yes. It is very sad to see our country succumb to obesity problems. I think that if tobacco and alcohol purchasers have to pay a vice tax, so should junk food eaters. We need to start to force fast food corporations to post calorie counts on their menus. In addition, we need to teach consumers that unhealthy eating can lead to many problems. Lastly, I would like to reiterate that if it is fair for smokers to pay a higher tax, then it is just as fair for junk food eaters as well.
The government is looking for more ways to make money as the economy continues to deteriorate. In the State of New York the current governor David Paterson has come up with some very interesting ideas to generate additional revenue. One of his ideas was to tax ipod music downloads as a way to create more tax income. However, the most interesting idea that he came up with was something called the “Obesity Tax”. The “Obesity Tax” would add an additional tax on certain items like non diet sodas and candy. Could this be a way to force Americans into eating properly or is this proposition another tax injustice?
It is estimated that seven out ten people in the United States is overweight. It is not hard to be considered obese. Any male that is in excess of 25% body fat is considered obese. A female whose body fat is in excess of 33% is also considered obese. This should not come as a surprise. For too many years our country has been living on fast food, pizza and sugar filled drinks. Furthermore, the sedentary lifestyles that most people lead increase chances of becoming over weight as well. Children do not go outside and play as we used to. Video games have replaced swing sets as the primary means of entertainment for our kids. Although, there many who argue that video games help improve hand eye coordination, the bottom line is that they keep children in front of the television eating snacks. The same goes for adults. The more time you spend in front of the television the more junk you are likely to eat.
David Paterson’s idea would bring about more awareness as to the dangers of eating unhealthy. Perhaps many parents would not buy their children so much junk food if they know that they are being taxed a “junk food tax”. Tobacco and alcohol has faced additional taxes for many years. These are items that are unhealthy and considered addicting as well. Junk food on the other hand is just as bad and can also be just as addicting. Just like alcoholics and drug addicts, there are many people who are food addicts. Food addicts drown their sorrows in ice cream much like an alcoholic seeks solace from a bottle of booze. Obesity is also a leading cause of heart disease; just like smoking.
Do I think it would be a good idea to impose additional taxes on junk food items like non diet sodas and candy bars? The answer is yes. It is very sad to see our country succumb to obesity problems. I think that if tobacco and alcohol purchasers have to pay a vice tax, so should junk food eaters. We need to start to force fast food corporations to post calorie counts on their menus. In addition, we need to teach consumers that unhealthy eating can lead to many problems. Lastly, I would like to reiterate that if it is fair for smokers to pay a higher tax, then it is just as fair for junk food eaters as well.
Labels: David Paterson Governor of New York, junk food tax, The Obesity Tax
Credit Card / Financial news blog post by Todd Holliday at 7:29 PM 