A Fat Tax? What do you think?
By Jesse | October 20, 2009
Cnn.com today featured a commentary piece from Rudy Ruiz, founder of RedBrownandblue.com. In his commentary, Ruiz takes a look at the food industry’s role in the increasing cost of health care. He proposes leveraging a tax on unhealthy food, including fast food. You can read his commentary here.
I think Ruiz makes a very good point on the food industry, and especially fast food’s, role in our nation’s obesity epidemic and the rising cost of health care. Incenting American’s to eat better with a food tax may be part of the solution. However, I’m not sure if 10 cents here or there on a double cheese burger or large Coke is really going to do the job. I think there needs to be reform in the type of foods the U.S. Government is subsidizing, as well as an incentive for American’s to eat better and exercise more, possibly in the form of lower health insurance premiums for healthy Americans. But hey, that’s just my opinion.
What do you think readers? Should there be a tax on fast food? Are there better ways to get American’s to eat better or for the fast food industry to offer healthier options?
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October 20th, 2009 at 8:04 am
I think the big point here is the government subsidization. The government heavily subsidizes corn, which has lead to farmers growing a shitload of corn, which means that corn needs a home. It has found it in (among other things) high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup = fat Americans.
So now they want to tax high fructose corn syrup products? Doesn’t that mean they have all the more money to pump back into corn subsidies and make the cycle even more vicious?
I guess it depends on where the money ends back up. The real solution is probably to start easing off on corn subsidy until it’s gone entirely, even if that means more hard times for farmers.
October 20th, 2009 at 8:10 am
I agree with Chris
October 20th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Yeah, subsidies are a huge part of the problem. If corn wasn’t so cheap, cows would eat more grass, making even our double cheeseburgers a little bit more healthy and more environmentally sustainable. That’s just one small example above and beyond just the corn syrup problem.
I think something needs to be said about choice as well. I’m fully aware of the unhealthy aspects of fast food, but still choose to eat it from time to time. (Surprisingly enough, I don’t eat as much as you would think). People are just going to eat this stuff because it tastes good. A few cents on the dollar is not going to change our minds. In fact, I don’t even think I would notice. However, if I knew I was going to save $1,000 a year off my health insurance if I dropped 10 pounds, I would probably make more healthy food choices, or at least get my ass in the gym more.
October 20th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Not gonna work.
It’s kind of like the failed war on drugs. The best way to battle the epidemic, is through education and rehabilitation. Sadly the government wants to wage war on a front that creates more profit and violence.
Of course the comparison ends after the second sentence, but I am sure most of you will get what I mean. Taxing items more, or making them illegal, does nothing to stop the problem.
Education and a backlash against processed foods will do a lot more than a “fat tax”.
Jesse raises a great point about subsidies and laws made to help the big corporations who taint our food with toxic filler in order to fill their pockets.