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Will a Fat Tax Help Prevent Obesity?
Obesity used to be a problem only in developed countries. However, these days, obesity has become a problem in many countries around the world. According to experts, most of people’s medical expenses are spent on diseases that are related to obesity. Unfortunately, most of these diseases can be life-threatening.
Many people believe that fatty food — along with food rich in salt and sugar — is to blame for large-scale obesity. These people believe that introducing a fat tax will solve this problem. However, this proposal is highly debated because there are people who don’t believe that a fat tax will work.
Supporters say that obesity has become an epidemic that now needs intervention from the level of policy makers. These days, people are bombarded by an environment that encourages an unhealthy lifestyle. People almost have no choice because unhealthy food is usually more affordable. For these reasons, the intervention of the government is very necessary.
Moreover, food consumption is no longer just a necessity for most people. It has become a vice much like drinking, gambling, and smoking are. A sin tax is paid on all these vices, and it has proven successful in reducing what it has intended to reduce. Based on this fact, a fat tax will most likely do the same.
Lastly, a fat tax will shift trends in the food industry. Assuming that unhealthy food will become more expensive after a fat tax is implemented, food businesses will consequently make a shift to producing healthy food which will dramatically change people’s food choices and promote healthy eating.
Opponents say food consumption is not like a vice that can be controlled especially that these days, people easily decide to buy fast food products because they are convenient and tasty. Even if a fat tax were to be imposed, many people would still be willing to pay for the price of indulgence especially if that indulgence is convenient.
They add that imposing such a tax is unreasonable. The government’s job is to protect its people from outside threats, protect their rights, and provide services that will enrich society. It is odd for governments to penalize people for having an individual choice.
Finally, a fat tax will burden the poor the most. Most of these people do not have access to healthy food, so they often have no other choice but to resort to food that is cheap, unhealthy, and most of the time, fatty. What the government should do instead is increase people’s access to fresh and healthy food instead of limiting people’s food choices in general.
1. Prevention
of obesity needs to come from the level of policy makers.
2. Food
consumption is like a vice that needs a tax similar to sin tax.
3. A fat tax will pave the way for healthy food consumption.
medical expense 의료비
fatty 지방이 많은
bombard 퍼붓다
affordable 입수 가능한, 저렴한
vice 악덕, 악
gambling 도박
indulgence 방종, 탐닉
enrich 풍요롭게 하다
