Hutzpa (1000+ posts) Thu Feb-25-10 01:25 PM
Original message
How does Taxing junk food prevents Obesity?
You don't cut cost by raising taxes on junk food likewise raising taxes would not prevent
a poor person who cannot afford healthy food to suddenly start buying expensive healthy food.
My argument here is taxing has never solve problems but has helped increase hardship on people
who cannot afford these purchases in the first place.
What imo needs to be addressed here are the ingredients that are included in foods in the United States,
that is what the government should be heavily regulating, you control the ingredients
placed on foods, you control obesity, simple, none of these complicated approach that not only
hinders progress but will eventually kill any effort to curtail obesity.
These articles fat tax and junk food that I came across are not only misleading but are skewered in such way
that it introduces into your memory that taxing junk food (which are processed foods) are the way
forward forgetting to address the core issues, which is what type of ingredients are placed in these
foods that allows for cheaper price which in turn creates the opportunity for poor folks to purchase
these foods.
That should be the debate, not taxing, because taxing affects poor folks who are the ones that
could not afford expensive healthy food. Why not start the debate on that.
Just my two cents.
Jabba the HutzpaTheir worried about their Cheeto's fix becoming to expensive.
ncguy (27 posts) Thu Feb-25-10 01:28 PM
Response to Original message
1. The bad thing is
we started the precedent long ago by taxing liquor and then tobacco with outrageous taxes.
Yep, the government counts on that money.
hughee99 (1000+ posts) Thu Feb-25-10 01:29 PM
Response to Original message
2. The goal isn't to prevent obesity, it's to generate revenue from it.
Much like all other "sin" taxes.
Much like ALL TAXES, DUmmie.
NC_Nurse (1000+ posts) Thu Feb-25-10 01:29 PM
Response to Original message
3. The tax revenue could be used for healthcare spending, which is increased by
the obesity problem in this country.
They said the same about cigarette taxes and the money from the windfall lawsuit against Big Tobacco.
From there it pretty much breaks down to Jabba the Hutzpa defending buying junk food because it's cheaper.
