Can taxation curb obesity?

[Foxy Brown]

Food and drinks high in sugar should be taxed just like cigarettes, say economists who believe it is the only way to combat the global crisis in obesity.

[Amplifier]

Eduction on the dangers of obesity from an early age, and teaching children proper eating would help a lot more. However, even though cigarettes+alcohol have such taxes, and education about their dangers, they are still consumed in great amounts. There's no way to stop silly people from doing silly things.

[IsobelPlayDead]

I don't agree. People are fat because they don't do anything about it. I am deffinatly way over-weight, and the reason isn't because soda is too cheap, its because i'm lazy and don't find a way to get my ass to the gym. That's why people are fat. Or they can be those crazies who spend all their time eating McDonalds, which is so gross. And people try to blame McDonalds? It's people's own faults if they're fat.

[Gblue]

im a fatty, and its because i was too lazy to do anything while i studied. 1 month of monitoring what i eat and 12lbs lighter already. if they put more tax on crappy food, i'd still have eaten it.

[meowchi]

IsobelPlayDead: great post

Americans generally (not sure how it is in other parts of the world) know *what* is good and bad for you, the problem is: easier said then done. I would go more into this but Isobel just took the words out of my mouth

[meowchi]

^ Can't edit my post again, anyone else having this prob?

The fitness programs are there, the information is right at everyones fingertips. But can people do it? I don't think so, as a majority of America is overweight.

Which isn't suprising because take a look at our culture;

*We have drive-throughs on *FAST* food. What's so hard about walking through the door and buying it from the counter? I can understand using drive-throughs as a time-saver, but seriously, walking to the counter and ordering it from there doesn't take that much longer. Whenever I pass by a MacDonalds, I see a huge line at the drive through while inside the restaurant itself has no people in line!

*Cars. We rely on car transportation too, too much. Given the choice between driving a car, or cycling, I'd take cycling hands down. On a good day the average cyclist can do about 30-40 miles.
Driving = no physical activity whatsoever. For 10+ mile errands I can understand, but for less then 2 mile errands?
I had a friend who drives to work, and she only lives about 1.5 miles away from it... She wants to lose weight, so i asked her "Do you do any cardio or aerobics? Her reply "I just don't have time". She is not a student, she is single, and she just has one job. Casually walking 1.5 miles would probably take 20-30 minutes give or take.

On the OTHER hand I have a friend who is married, has 4 kids, is president of the PTA at her kids school, and is training to be in the Olympic Trials. She runs 75 miles a week. How is it that she can find time in all that but my other friend can't?

The food tax is a nice little start on fighting this problem, even though it might seemed far-fetched.

[IsobelPlayDead]

^ exactly.

[orion]

maybe there should be junk food patches, like the nicotine ones to quit smoking, so people can wean themselves off the bad foods. i think it should be called the McPatch! but seriously puting up higher taxes wont do much and it would be too hard to classify what is bad food and what is good. like how would you classify things that make up the bad foods, like butter for instance, would that mean there would be a greater tax on it too!

[smoothee]

its a shot.. but i doubt it'll change the eating habbits of many people

[Kulkulkan]

taxation should not be a form of social engineering.  Taxation should be for the sole purpose of raising money for government.  It is not the government's job to regulate private behaviour that does not harm others.  While the argument may be made that it raises health costs, which the government (taxpayers really) pays for, the solution is not to regulate behaviour, but to stop paying for health care!  The best incentive to stop unhealthy lifestyles is to force those practising them to assume the total cost of their folly.