LONDON (AFP) - Britain's government is considering trying to tackle increasing levels of obesity by imposing a so-called "fatty food tax" on foodstuffs with poor nutritional value, according to a report.
sounds like a good idea to me. Sin taxes are always a good idea. Tax the hell out of booze, cigs and fatty foods. things that we all know are not good for you. put the extra revenue into social programs.
think about how much nicer the world would be if there was a 5.00 sin tax on every pack of cigs.. fewer cig butts all over the place more productive workers etc etc etc.
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Somthor impressed everyone with:sounds like a good idea to me. Sin taxes are always a good idea. Tax the hell out of booze, cigs and fatty foods. things that we all know are not good for you. put the extra revenue into social programs.
Um, wtf.
While it is my choice to eat these things, eating them does not harm others around me. Sure, I end up being unhealthy if I EAT THEM CONSTANTLY. But once in awhile I can eat them and still stay healthy. And if I make proper choices, I could even eat them more often than that.
Alcohol and cigarettes, on the other hand, harm others around you when you use them. Cigarettes and second hand smoke for example, or people that can't control their alcohol use and drunk driving.
So, why don't we take this farther! Lets put a huge tax on candy bars, they arent good for you. Lets tax the hell out of sports games, going and sitting in place for 3 hours+ isnt good for you! Lets tax the crap out of EVERYTHING that isn't good for you.
I'm not saying it is anyone's fault but mine...but damnit, it is because of choices I've made in my life, and said choices don't harm you in the least. So let me be, thanks. I don't need to government to try to take care of me -- I need to be able to take care of stuff myself.
(Yes, I know this is in England. My response is to Somthor who thinks this is a good idea.)
Though I also think this is just good old fashioned British taxation with a supposed "good cause". [ 02-19-2004: Message edited by: Suddar ]
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Star Collective was naked while typing this:
no.
If people want to eat fatty foods, they're going to do it high taxes or not. Maybe this is the government's lame way of trying to get more money. And even if they were to tax fatty foods, I surely doubt the money they get would go to anything.. you know.. important.
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Suddar was naked while typing this:
Hey, I think it's a good idea too. It'd certainly help to encourage me not to buy them.Though I also think this is just good old fashioned British taxation with a supposed "good cause".
This isnt going to stop the people that really need it -- they'll still buy fast food. They will just end up spending money they cant afford to spend on it. The people that don't REALLY need to stop and eat fast food rarely may end up stopping. But the people that really need to stop wont be put off by this.
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Aury wrote this then went back to looking for porn:
and who's to say what's healthy and what's not?
Qualified physicians. 
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Suddar had this to say about Matthew Broderick:
The same argument could be made for the taxes on smoking and drinking, which I wouldn't even mention if you hadn't brought them up to support your point. In my eyes, you either support this kind of thing or you don't. Either way, if it puts some people off from it, good for them, because that shit is horrible for you.
You are taking parts of my point and ignoring others.
Tell me one thing: How does my choosing to eat fast food harm others. That was the reason I made that point. I support taxing things that people do that have the potential to harm others.
Yes, it harms me in the long run if I don't control it. Cigarettes will almost always harm more than 1 person, and alcohol has a high potential to harm more than one person. But my eating fast food and being overweight doesn't harm you, or anyone else, other than myself.
Are you saying you would support a tax on each and every single item that could be potentially harmful or unhealthy to you? I could make a list 10 pages long of things like this, if I wanted. [ 02-19-2004: Message edited by: Falaanla Marr ]
Falaanla has a valid point. Consumption of foods that are not sufficiently "nutritious" is an entirely different ball game than drunk drivers and secondhand smoke.
Fal2win.
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Star Collective attempted to be funny by writing:
Qualified physicians.
Different things are of varying levels of healthiness to different people. Peoples bodies are all different.
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Falaanla Marr was listening to Cher while typing:
You are taking parts of my point and ignoring others.Tell me one thing: How does my choosing to eat fast food harm others. That was the reason I made that point. I support taxing things that people do that have the potential to harm others.
pages long of things like this, if I wanted.
welfare, social security health care costs.... people will eat whatever they want but demand for such foods might drop then fast food might find healthier alternitives.
beyond all that I was talking about sin taxes. Im all for them. my favorite is the gas guzzler tax every car in america that gets lousy gas milage has a gas guzzler tax added to it. people who can afford to drive those kind of cars can afford to pay the tax. 
As an observation, I find it kind of amusing that the chubby people are the ones who don't like the idea of this. No offense intended.
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Falaanla Marr wrote, obviously thinking too hard:
You are taking parts of my point and ignoring others.Tell me one thing: How does my choosing to eat fast food harm others. That was the reason I made that point. I support taxing things that people do that have the potential to harm others.
Yes, it harms me in the long run if I don't control it. Cigarettes will almost always harm more than 1 person, and alcohol has a high potential to harm more than one person. But my eating fast food and being overweight doesn't harm you, or anyone else, other than myself.
Are you saying you would support a tax on each and every single item that could be potentially harmful or unhealthy to you? I could make a list 10 pages long of things like this, if I wanted.
Sorry about the 'ignoring' points thing, but the fact is I'm not very good at arguing and I'm not trying to do it here very intensely. I was just bringing up a quick point maybe so you could clarify, because I think that the taxes are similar even though being fat doesn't harm anybody but you.
I probably would support a tax on harmful items, in cases where it isn't so serious as to warrent some kind of outright ban. That sounds mighty socialist or whatever of me, I know. I don't think it should be anything extreme, but whatever. I'm sick (again) and don't really want to sit here staring at the screen in a poor attempt to support my points. ;P Especially with such good company in on it with me.
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Somthor had this to say about the Spice Girls:
welfare, social security health care costs.... people will eat whatever they want but demand for such foods might drop then fast food might find healthier alternitives.beyond all that I was talking about sin taxes. Im all for them. my favorite is the gas guzzler tax every car in america that gets lousy gas milage has a gas guzzler tax added to it. people who can afford to drive those kind of cars can afford to pay the tax.
OK, you tax fast food. Fine.
People that are overweight are not overweight simply because they eat fast food -- My brother eats far more than I do, fast food and otherwise, and weighs 160 pounds. He is as tall as I am. I weigh 310 (though I dont look it). Why? Because I don't exercise regularly and he does. If someone who ate fast food were to exercise regularly, and not eat fast food 3 times a day, they would likely remain pretty healthy.
So, let me ask you something, Somthor. There are MANY other things that are unhealthy. A small list:
Soda, Coffee, store bought hamburgers, candy, video games (if played in excess), cookies, other foods...
This is just a very small list. Would you support a big tax on all of these too? They are all items that would not harm ANYONE around someone using them, but could have a negative effect on the user.
And Jens: I probably would argue the same if I were skinny too -- I honestly don't feel it is right to regulate something that simply harms the user and noone else. If I choose to pollute my body with fast food, let me be 
(I'm not eating nearly as much as I used to though.)
And Suddar: Sorry for misunderstanding what you were going for them. [ 02-19-2004: Message edited by: Falaanla Marr ] Hope ya feel better soon.
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Aury spewed forth this undeniable truth:
Different things are of varying levels of healthiness to different people. Peoples bodies are all different.
Which is exactly why you need qualified medical personnel who know what they're doing.
Now, sin taxing is not a good idea, because people will sin no matter what. So what if you make the legal sins too expensive to indulge in? People will go the illegal sins.
Expect a huge rise in crack, heroin, black tar, and all that shit. Because, hell, it's cheaper. As Dave Attel once said...
"You know, in New York, a pack of cigarettes are eight bucks a pack. And when I smoke one, I can't help but feel that for two bucks more, I could be smoking crack."
Hmmmmm.
HMMMMMMMMMMM.
A big reason the poor to low income are overweight is because if something is healthy, it's usually more expensive.
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Mortious had this to say about Matthew Broderick:
Fantastic idea! I've also noticed that all the people that have disagreed, right here in this thread, are overweight.Hmmmmm.
HMMMMMMMMMMM.
I don't think anyone who is overweight has denied the fact in this thread.
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My only ossue with this is that you should bring down the price of 'healthy' food, then.
A big reason the poor to low income are overweight is because if something is healthy, it's usually more expensive.
Exactly!
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
So, rather than over-taxing the fast food, why not encourage them to make them healthier? Some of the joints here are doing just that. Low-carb sandwiches, low-fat sandwiches, low-fat dressings for salads, low-carb pizzas. It's a new trend, and it's a good one. People on the go can grab healthier foods without worrying about the crap.
I am against extra taxation just out of principle. It gives me the heebie jeebies in my special place.
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Check out the big brain on Jajahotep!
Exactly!
thats true pasta and other carbs are cheap. anyway lets start with the easy stuff and see how that goes from there you can decide if the program works or not.
adding a VAT type surtax on unhealthy fast food might prompt menu changes or customers break the habit of poor diet.
tax cigs heavier becuse those people tend to throw thier buts everywhere and thats bad for the enviroment as well as unsightly. the cool factor means they will still buy them even if they were 10.00 a pack
beer and wine and other alchool is a toughie becuse they are taxed as is any VAT type tax should be slight enough to get the message across.
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would this work? i dunno the other option is to give the various fast food industeris a incentive to have a healthier menu. would that work? well a while back the government put up a 150k prize for the most efficent and enviromental freindly home applicence the year after that all the suddon appliences becaume almost 2x or 3x better than before.
the prize wasnt much but the bragging rights were .
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x--BloodsageO-('-'Q) :
Sin taxes are ridiculous, and contradict everything for which America stands. If you like the idea, then move to France and enjoy socialism.
"Sin Taxing" seems to be a favorite work-around for those who would like to have things like tobacco and firearms outlawed, but can't because of that pesky "personal freedom" thing.
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Verily, Somthor doth proclaim:would this work? i dunno the other option is to give the various fast food industeris a incentive to have a healthier menu. would that work? well a while back the government put up a 150k prize for the most efficent and enviromental freindly home applicence the year after that all the suddon appliences becaume almost 2x or 3x better than before.
the prize wasnt much but the bragging rights were .
Now see, that is a GOOD idea. Instead of penalizing people for making choices, make it more worthwhile for companies to produce something worthwhile.
*shrugs* What the fuck do I care...
