Are governments thinking about a "fat tax"?

A provocatively titled news article asked the question "should there be a 'fat tax'?". This isn't a special tax levied on people with wider girths, but rather about taxing the things that lead to our weight gain. I suppose that one could say that this is a bit of infringement on our personal rights to be able to chose to consume the things we want to. However, with a mindset like this we tend to forget that our choices affect not only ourselves, but the people around us.

What do I mean by this? Well, as our society as a whole continues to increase its overall intake of products that add nothing to our well being, such as high calorie fast foods and tobacco products, the number of people suffering from diseases related to poor lifestyles increases. As the number of people suffering from diabetes and other ailments rises, it can begin to take a toll on our already "out of shape" health care system. How difficult is it to book an appointment with a doctor these days? Walk in clinics are already bursting to the seems with people getting regular checkups, flu shots and other matters. As our doctors become more and more booked it leads to our health system demanding more and more funding. The "tax" on fat foods and the like would be far less severe than an increase in general taxation, which, believe me, is the last thing most of us want.

So, does that mean that the reasons are purely financial or that the government is overly controlling? Hardly.

It's not as bad as it may look. I wouldn't think of it as the government stepping into our lives and dictating over our personal freedoms. Just like it often helps to have someone intervene in our lives when we might be making poor choices, I see this as a way for our government and health care professionals trying to intervene before things get too late. If you are one for numbers, be sure to check out a past overview of Canadian nutrition, taken back in 2007. The numbers are somewhat discouraging.

 

Seeing a slight increase in prices of soft drinks and other products (which we have actually been starting to see) could be just the small enticement we need to either slow down on our consumption or switch over to something else. The day it costs less for real juice than an equal amount of soft drink is the day that I believe people will switch en masse (though, when drinking juice, be sure to avoid some of the ones that are basically camouflaged soft drinks).

While an overall comprehensive tax is still on the drawing board, it is something to think about as more and more health officials and even sociologists join the "fat tax" bandwagon.