It is difficult to accurately quantify how much various foods contribute to health problems and thus difficult to determine which foods should be classified as “junk food” and subject to taxation. Patients got significantly less of their calories from soda or pizza when there was a … See More Stories and Videos from the Series: Where America StandsRead the Complete Poll. People with a high body mass index due to fat should pay extra on the bus, on flights, on trains and more taxes towards NHS treatment. While this may be considered problematic to many, for government bodies that wish to provide themselves with an increased revenue stream, this is a huge boon to their bottom line. Taxing junk food may not solve the issue of obesity in the United States, but it will likely curb the consumption of toxic foods—a step in the right direction. Such taxes are worth the effort, experts argue. If less people eat junk food, there will be fewer diseases and medical costs will decline. The level of contribution of sugary drinks to a variety of health problems impacting our nation may be subject to debate. Citizens may simply feel that the freedom to make individual dietary selections is beyond the realm of appropriate government regulation? Since most people are who are addicted to junk food do not have the ability 2. It is dangerous and should be banned. "It is true, though, that if you wanted to make a big impact on people's health in this country, reducing things like soda consumption would be helpful.". By taxing unhealthy food components (saturated fats, excess salt, sugars) and subsidising healthy foods (fr… The poll results reveal that the vast majority of Americans believe that obesity can be controlled. The debate over junk food taxes is drawing increasing attention from both sides. Continued debate over of the adverse health impacts of sugary drinks is coupled with heating debate over the propriety of a tax on a dietary pleasure — a pleasure some believe people have an unassailable right to partake in, but others find to be a health hazard. The Obesity is not just about what you eat but things like a lack of exercise. ((http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/360/18/1805)), Below is an attempt to summarize the arguments coming from both sides of the debate. But since the biological mechanisms controlling thirst and hunger are separate, he says reducing calories by changing people’s drinking tastes – rather than chasing elusive ways to cut their eating – is a viable way of fighting fat. Arguably the most controversial aspect is which foods will be taxed. This is why I believe that junk food should … This shifting context of the discussion likely impacts peoples’ views on the issue. They also site an article in Obesity Reviews; 2005 suggesting that   “Overweight status was not associated with the intake of fruits, vegetables, and soft drinks….Increasing physical activity participation and decreasing television viewing  ((Would Obesity Reviews choose a TV tax over a junk food tax?)) Many disincentives from parking fines to cigarette taxes disproportionately impact lower income citizens without condemnation. List of the Pros of Having Junk Food in Schools. Foods that are more likely to fall under a junk food tax are those high in sugar, calories, and fat and low in nutrient value – like soda, for example. The government will save a lot money by adding taxes on junk food, but also will save many peoples’ lives which is more important and trough this policy the government will interfere in peoples’ food choices in a good way. In March 2015, the city of Berkley, California implemented a penny per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (“SSB”). First published on January 7, 2010 / 6:30 PM. Junk food should be taxed for a number of reasons: Firstly, junk food contains a high content of unhealthy sugars, fats and salts. Should junk food be heavily taxed like cigarettes and alcohol? This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. ‘Junk food’ taxes are also not guaranteed to reduce overall caloric intake, as some hope. Eight percent of men and just two percent of women say they want to gain weight. That includes 62 percent of women and 47 percent of men. A surtax on foods identified as "junk" would be a punishing measure that would hurt busy families that enjoy the odd pizza night, and it would be especially hard on … Would hurt industries that create and sell the taxed foods, potentially costing jobs in those industries. Consuming this type of food frequently and in large portions can lead to a number of health risks such as diabetes, heart problems and obesity. In contrast,a sales tax on sugared drinks would generate considerable revenue,and as with the tax on tobacco, it could become a key tool inefforts to improve health. Fifty-seven percent say obesity is a "very serious" public health problem, and another 38 percent call it a somewhat serious problem. Could shift consumer spending to healthier foods, bolstering the industries that produce those foods. Sixty percent say they oppose such a tax, while 38 percent say it's a good idea. Taxes on junk food would minimize the rate of obesity. For a tax to be effective at reducing obesity, consumers must not respond by switching to other unhealthy foods not covered by the tax. Just seven percent say people cannot control their level of obesity. To what extent does this policy hold true for sodas and other junk foods? Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., current director of the. Plus, consuming too many foods no matter how healthy they are will contribute to … ((http://www.nofoodtaxes.com/about/)), To support their stance that the tax would have no “meaningful impact on…public health” they site a variety of studies including one from the The Mercatus Center at George Mason University that Americans Against Food Taxes says finds “that any impact of a soft drink tax would be trivial because soft drink consumption is a relatively small part of the diet for overweight people.”  Further, they suggest that the financial impact of the tax could be excessively burdensome, particularly on the poor. Yet Mr. Obama has acknowledged that there is resistance to such taxes. Yet when cities and states have tried to enact so-called snack taxes on soda, candy and other junk food, they’ve met resistance. Lower income people either spend more money in total, or more money as a percentage of their total income, on junk food. Fitness Tax Credit: Fitness Inducer or Revenue Reducer? Your email address will not be published. But if society believes that people have a right to cause and endure any detriment that might be caused by junk food, free of the influence of taxation, then the aforementioned debate may be moot. should be the focus of strategies aimed at preventing and treating overweight and obesity in youth.”  ((http://www.nofoodtaxes.com/facts/)), The NY Times has suggested that the Americans Against Food Taxes is a front for the soft drink industry reporting that “Calls to a media contact listed on the site reach the American Beverage Association, an industry organization whose board is made up of top executives from the major soft drink manufacturers.” ((http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/business/17soda.html?_r=1)). For example, many cheeses are high in fat, yet such foods are not usually considered as “junk food” despite their effects on obesity. Arguments For and Against Junk Food and Soda Taxes. "People's attitude is that they don't necessarily want Big Brother telling them what to eat or drink, and I understand that," he said in an interview last year. It might be true that spending on sodas represents a larger portion of income for the poor. The Senate has already considered a tax on soda and other sugary drinks, and President Obama has said he is open to such a tax. Not entirely sure it would work - for a start define 'junk' food. Mexico’s sales of unhealthy foods have fallena year after introducing an 8% tax on these foods, compared with no change in sales of un-taxed foods. March 10, 2010— -- Taxing junk food may help reduce obesity and improve health, researchers have found. “Activity is not the solution – you can’t run off a Coke or an ice-cream cone or candy bar very easily – it takes a lot of exercise to offset an extra hundred calories,” he said. But if (1) junk food significantly adversely impacts health and (2) as a matter of social policy we want to disincentivize people from engaging in the unhealthy habit of consuming such foods  ((Whether or not there is a legitimate public interest in regulating individual self-destructive behavior is subject to debate. Defining Junk Food. Should junk food be allowed in schools today? A tax works by raising the final price to consumers, and for many goods this means that the final quantity of … But are sodas and other junk food necessities? © 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nearly nine in ten Americans say obesity can be controlled, not through taxation but through diet and exercise. Importantly, fast food consumption (a common target for a "fat tax") may be relatively unresponsive to price changes because individuals may simply switch to other non-taxed, but still energy-dense (lots of calories per serving size) foods. Copyright © 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. So why not tax junk food to steer people away from harmful foods? And a majority of Americans – 55 percent – say they themselves would like to lose weight. They do not feel, however, that the government should be imposing a tax on the foods most likely to make them obese. In Australia we have raised the price of cigarettes and smoking has gone down, and we have raised the price of alcoholic drinks and consumption has gone down. It would help combat New Mexico’s growing obesity crisis, which would reduce health care expenses over the long term. It is difficult to imagine producingbehavior change of this magnitude through education alone, evenif government devoted massive resources to the task. Feel free to post additional arguments in the comments section. ((http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5B843A20091210)). In response to the proposal for an additional tax on junk food, Nevada Republican lawmaker, Pat Hickey, stated, "I don't think government should be picking winners and losers with respect to people's diets.” Hickey explains that the government is not in the position to … a junk-food tax would do some good. Eating too much junk food can cause your life to be shortened, and this is terrible. I am not attacking foods that contain a few grams of fat, nor am I saying that someone should not be able to eat tax-free junk food. The whole premise of the easy fix of taxing junk food is basic economics. The reality is that 'junk food' taxes or sugary drink taxes are ineffective, blunt instruments that fail to recognize the complex and manifold causes of obesity. These foods are considered “nonessential” and have been shown to lead to obesity. Your email address will not be published. There is evidence that taxes on cigarettes reduced cigarette consumption. Therefore I feel not only that the cost of soft drinks ought to be taxed, but all junk foods: fast food, donuts, pizza, Twinkies, chips, candy and so on, with the proceeds going to pay for the universal health care/insurance, to offset the costs of additional health care that the consumption of those offending foods cause are incurred by society. Would restrict the freedom of people to make their own dietary choices. There are precedents. The U.S. federal government does not have sales taxes, but it does administer dozens of manufacturer excise taxes. Lisa M. Powell and Frank J. Chaloupka recently combed the literature to find out what we know about how junk food taxes affect obesity. Lower income people either spend more money in total, or more money as a percentage of their total income, on junk food. However, that the freedom of people away from sugary drinks to a variety of health problems impacting our may... 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