| Obesity, which contributes to several health | | | | gross income somewhat. |
| problems like cancer, stroke, diabetes and high | | | | Opposition Response |
| blood pressure has become epidemic and affects | | | | Most of us are opposed to more taxes, myself |
| nearly half the U.S population. The number of | | | | included, but there are other oppositions to a tax |
| obese people has doubled since 1985, which has | | | | of this kind. Here are some of the most common. |
| led to a 30% increase in health premiums. The | | | | - I,m not fat and I don't want to pay for |
| overall financial costs of obesity are greater than | | | | someone who is and I like my sodas and Dorritos. |
| those for alcoholism or smoking. The annual cost | | | | You can still eat whatever you like. Paying $1.10 |
| of treating health problems related to obesity is | | | | for a 99 cent bag of Dorritos may well be the |
| estimated at upward of $100 billion. Reduction of | | | | cheapest way for you to pay for this problem. It |
| health costs over time will not happen if obesity is | | | | is inevitable because of the magnitude of this |
| ignored. | | | | social problem that it won't cost you in some |
| Why more taxes? | | | | way. |
| Two reasons; First and most obvious is to raise | | | | - The government must stop trying to legislate |
| part of the money for what is being proposed as | | | | our behavior and picking our pockets. Sorry |
| universal health care, a subject that carries with it | | | | friend...too late. In a society this complex and |
| a separate debate. The second and probably | | | | generally prosperous, everything we do in some |
| most import reason is to raise awareness of | | | | small way affects everyone else. "No man is an |
| what we are eating and how it affects our bodies. | | | | island." The only way for the government not to |
| The American public is woefully ignorant about | | | | do something is to completely drop the idea of |
| nutrition. | | | | universal health care. How good is your imagination |
| What to Tax | | | | on that happening? |
| There have been dozens of "sinful-food" tax | | | | - It's a regressive tax that unfairly affects the |
| proposals from a penny a can for sodas to 10% | | | | poor. This appears to be true on the face of it. |
| on all fast food items. It probably needs to be | | | | Low income people eat high starch and fast foods |
| more inclusive than that. Packaged foods with a | | | | in an attempt to stretch their food dollar. As |
| lot of sugar and starch probably contribute as | | | | mentioned earlier there should be a tax subsidy |
| much to the problem as the entire fast food | | | | for choosing healthy foods. More of the public |
| industry. It could well be a sliding scale on all foods | | | | health dollar needs to go to nutrition education and |
| except fresh produce based on grams of fats | | | | awareness. With the right information and a little |
| and sugar per 100 grams or per serving. | | | | assistance, low income people can have healthy |
| What is the Tax Rate? | | | | diets. |
| The Department of Agriculture has suggested | | | | One of the glitches in pursuing a national health |
| that, for "sinful-food" taxes to change the way | | | | care problem is the political avoidance of personal |
| people eat, they may need to equal at least 10% | | | | accountability and responsibility. We have been |
| to 30% of the cost of the food. It is estimated | | | | lulled into reliance on government, a condition |
| that a 10% federal tax on fattening foods would | | | | which is hard to reverse, and the government |
| raise $530 billion over 10 years. There should also | | | | seems to cherish it's role. Individual responsibility is |
| be a program of tax subsidies to encourage the | | | | the ultimate solution; until then everyone pays in |
| purchase of healthy foods such as fresh fruits | | | | one way or another. |
| and vegetable. This of course would reduce the | | | | |