You are a legend !

Can I suggest the occasional fry up at The Canteen, Baker Street !!!!

1) It would be ineffectual. There is no firm evidence whatsoever that a tax would actually modify behaviour. The IFS report which was presented to the government for consideration is telling. http://eprints.ucl.ac.uk/14931/1/14931.pdf. It goes into great detail of growth in obesity, the possible reasons for that, the impact on the economy, how a fat tax might be implemented etc, etc… but only one paragraph that even mentions evidence of efficacy, and that mentions just one small study that was inconclusive. This is shocking – how can a government consider making policy on the basis of zero evidence?

If you want some evidence look at alcohol and tobacco. We have some of the highest taxes in the world on both. Do we have the lowest levels of alcohol abuse and smoking? I think not.

I know many people who have given up smoking, myself included. Not one of them count money as a major reason for doing so. Do you know anybody who does? Do you know any alcoholics who gave up drinking because it became too expensive? On another point, the poster who claims that the government tax alcohol and tobacco because of the health effects needs a reality check. Do you think taxes would be reduced if by some miracle they were found to be harmless? Even the government themselves no longer claim health as a direct reason for taxation.

2) It may actually have a detrimental effect on health. What happens when the price of alcohol rises? Do people stop drinking, or do they switch to a cheaper, lower quality product? Similarly with cigarettes? I know many people who switched from cigarettes to roll-ups for reasons of cost… where’s the health benefit in that?

In addition if a tax was implemented food manufacturers would simply source cheaper ingredients or processes to make the same products more cheaply, and retailers would no doubt reduce their margins or sell at a loss, as we see now with alcohol loss-leaders in all the major supermarkets.

3) It is unfair. Like any flat tax it would hit the poor much harder than the well off.

4) It encourages discrimination. There’s enough bigotry and hatred of overweight people already without the increased stigma of being singled out for special treatment by the government. What do people with food issues do when they feel bad…?? The very name “fat tax” says a lot about the mentality behind it. Why not call it a health tax?

5) Positive motivation is always more effectual than negative motivation. Far better to focus on tax breaks for gym memberships, reducing the (frankly outrageous) cost of fruit and vegetables, etc.

6) Finally to Marie: one of the great things about this country is that we have a universal health system. If you believe in a privatised health system that’s one thing, and it certainly has its attractions. Under such a system overweight people would certainly pay more for their health insurance. But that’s not how it works at the moment – it’s either universal, or it’s not. If you say that overweight people should pay more to pay for the potential cost of their future treatment, you should also ask drivers to pay extra for the potential accidents they will be in, Saturday footballers for all the A&E time they may take up, and people with a family history of breast cancer to pay more for the treatment they are more-than-likely-than-the-next-person to require.

Did I mention I’m against the idea?
Anthony

Governments already tax cigarettes and alcohol for health reasons. And arguably the greatest health crisis hitting the UK / world is obesity. The drain this self-induced obesity epidemic will have on the NHS will be enormous. So if my taxes must pay for obese people’s health problems, while I eat right and work out every day – yes, I believe such a taxation policy is more than fair. The tax collected should be clearly earmarked for the NHS.

As for infringement of civil rights / freedoms – not anymore than cigarettes and alcohol. And I would argue having my hard earned tax money pay for an obese person’s medical bills is an extreme infringement on my personal liberties. So as long as there is socialized healthcare, as long as we deem it correct to tax cigarettes and alcohol, yes, junk food should be taxed and taxed heavily. I personally think it is one of the more clever ideas in social taxation policies in a generation.