The Purpose Of The Fat Tax Unhealthy Food

Food Fight

In 1776, Adam Smith wrote, "Sugar, rum, and tobacco are commodities which are nowhere necessaries of life, which are become objects of almost universal consumption, and which are therefore extremely proper subjects of taxation." Even over 200 years ago, there was an understanding that products considered harmful or unnecessary to survive were taxed, known as a sin tax in today's lexicon. Sin taxes affect items that are deemed morally questionable, unhealthy, or unneeded. The purpose of the tax is to discourage people from using these products as well as to increase revenue to offset rising health care costs associated with the consumption of these products. (Fat tax. By: Harmon, Angela, Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2015) With the rate

However, this is completely false! The potential the tax has to offer is completely the opposite; the money raised by the tax could account for the money lost from obesity. The estimated unseen cost of obesity in the United States is 75 billion, 40 billion being taken from taxpayers pockets. If we choose to eat foods that make us unhealthy and obese, this creates external costs such as: medical costs for treatment, lost productivity at work for time off sick, and premature death. (Fat Tax: Why we should tax unhealthy foods) The truth of the matter is that obesity doesn’t just affect someone personally, everyone deals with the repercussions it has and nobody has immunity. There is a solution though: the fat tax. "The cost in taxpayer dollars is enormous," agreed Dr. Jana Klauer, a New York private practice nutrition physician. "A fat tax could be used to offset the medical costs." ('Fat Tax' to Lower Obesity) With a fat tax used, economic price of obesity will decrease as the prevalence of the disease does. Furthermore, the revenue’s potential can be showcased as the dominant arms against the pricetag of obesity. Or, utilization of the revenue is seen as opportune for other expenditures. Take the town of Berkeley, California for example. After passing the United States' first soda tax, revenues have been used to improve nutrition in schools and support community groups' health programs,

The rising community of overweight and obese people-and following effect it has on their bodies and the economy- calls for a plan of action! The tax on unhealthy foods would be a wise legislative move to find a solution for this coast-to-coast issue. With the fat tax in motion, it will move people to eat better by creating a disincentive for people to buy fatty food. Next, when the population improves their diet, there will be less obesity and less deaths from it’s complications. Then finally, the revenue from the bill could public education funding, placing subsidies on healthy food, or much more. Logically, a fat tax is the easiest way to improve the quality of life for everyone. In reality, everyone must remember that poor diet doesn’t only affect the overweight person; fattening foods causes undesirable effects all throughout society. Everyone knows or is family with an obese person, and those are the people that should be kept in mind when considering this change in policy. With the aid of this tax, we can create a better future for the nation as a