Overweight People

[Cierra]

Fat Tax
​

The WHO reports that “in 2008 1.5 billion adults, 20 and older, were overweight with a Body Mass Index (a proxy measurement of body fat based on height and weight) over 25 and that of these 1.5 billion overweight adults, over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese (BMI > 30). Overall, more than one in ten of the world’s adult population was reported to be obese. Once considered a high-income country problem, overweight and obesity are now on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings. Close to 35 million overweight children are living in developing countries and 8 million in developed countries.”

The U.S.A would implement a flat tax on food items high (in excess of 20% of the daily requirements) on saturated fats, salt and sugar. Hungary did that and introduced a flat tax on foods high in fat, sugar and salt in the amount of 10 forint (0.037 EUR) on the 1st of September.[4] Denmark did something similar on the 1st of October, charging 16 DKK (2.15 EUR) per kg of saturated fat on domestic and imported food, not including products with saturated fat content fewer than 2.3%.[5] There are similar initiatives and proposals in other EU countries as well, as well as overseas in the US.[6]

1. Is this shaming over weight/obese people?

2. Do you think a fat tax should be established in the U.SA or your country?

3. Why or why not?

* Quote from http://www.debate.org

 

[Bluezone777]

1. Yes

2. No(I'm in the USA by the way.)

3. A long list of reasons actually

1. What would be an objective standard for what is defined as obese or not and who will be doing the work in determining the weight of every person and who is paying for it? Sounds awfully expensive especially when many are already struggling to make ends meet and don't need a forced physical put upon many already limited budget.

2. The government has shown time and time again to have no self control in using taxes for legit reasons and will just waste the money as they do with the rest of our tax dollars. We do not need another tax to be wasted on nonsense.

3. Being heavy is not something someone willingly chooses to be(for the most part) as it is born from a wide array of physical and psychological reasons not all of which are the fault of the sufferer. Some of these reasons actually prevent or make it vastly difficult for someone to lose weight.

4. Being a "healthy" weight does not guarantee a long life or one free of illness. There is no guarantee that any weight will be lifted from the health care system if everyone was "fit". Plenty of people will peruse the health care system for a wide array of things that weight will have no bearing on. Why should we pay a certain tax for benefits that are not really ensured will come if we have such a tax here in the USA.

I am curious to how things go in countries that passed this sort of tax but I don't see it flying in the US as Republicans are for the most part anti tax and will likely shoot down almost anything that raises taxes on anyone.

 

[MrDawn]

I don't believe you should judge or condemn someone based on how they look or how they weigh. There are many medical problems that can cause people to become over weight and taxing them is unfair. That is like charging tax on a individual for having down syndrome or some other disorder . Its just another way of making fun of someone indirectly. It just makes me wonder what else they can think of.

 

[kavin]

I don't believe you should judge or condemn someone based on how they look or how they weigh. There are many medical problems that can cause people to become over weight and taxing them is unfair. That is like charging tax on a individual for having down syndrome or some other disorder . Its just another way of making fun of someone indirectly. It just makes me wonder what else they can think of.

From what i see in OP, the don't tax people with extra weight, but they are going to tax food materials with excess fat content.

 

[Kage]

1. Is this shaming over weight/obese people?

2. Do you think a fat tax should be established in the U.SA or your country?

3. Why or why not?

1. Yes it is. However, this isn't a horrible thing. Sometimes people need to realize that they have a problem they need to correct.

2. No. The US was founded on the freedom to do what you wish. Also, sometimes people can't help it due to thyroid diseases or an addiction. To implement a tax like this is absurdly stupid. I mean, really? That's just taxing simply because you can tax and that is wrong.

3. Explained above. But to add on a bit, if we tax people because they're fat, can we tax them for being stupid?

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I don't think those who are overweight should be taxed but I don't think I should have to give any of my hard earned money to pay for their health problems, either. I was nearly 300 pounds in 2012, while very tall, still technically obese. It scared me too because I've always been really skinny before. It scared me enough to change my lifestyles and pick up a cycling addiction. I lost nearly 100 pounds in three months thanks to cycling and I've not felt this good in a LONG time. Should I have been taxed? NO. Should you have had to pay in to my healthcare to keep me healthy? NO. Some people might be born overweight but they CAN overcome it, weight CAN be lost - people try to argue that but how can you do so without any proof what so ever?

 

[Forces of Steel]

What if a genetic condition causes obesity? It's not fair to them.

Also, taxing overweight people is no different from separating whites from blacks. We don't need to go back to those primitive ways.

 

[Rebel]

No. America is taxed enough already and what exactly would a tax do? Obamacare already screws everyone over and turns our healthcare system into a product of communism. Your high premiums are bringing the premiums of others down. A fat tax would just be another over stepped and unpopular decision by a bloated US government imposing on it's citizens.

 

[Atrox]

In Britain, people are just getting fatter and fatter. For Britain, I'd say maybe because this is something that we can stop blowing completely out of proportion, if someone has a medical issue and can prove it, then sure - they should be able to avoid the tax with the proper forms handed in. But if they're fat because they're having take-away or chips every day then sure, tax them, they're the ones that have done this.

 

[Black Angel]

I would gladly support a fat tax, but if, and only if they came up with an idiot and an a**hole tax first. idiots and a-holes have proven to be far more numerous, dangerous, and more of a nuisance than fat people ever could be in 3 lifetimes.

If you are fat, then you can always lose weight, but you can't fix stupid and an a-hole will always be an a-hole.

We would make more money off of idiots and a-holes in this country then we ever could imagine from fat people.

Can you imagine how much money would be made if this idea went global?

We would be able to fix the biggest problems of the world today and still have enough money left over for anything else we wanted to do.

 

[Joy Division]

It's a terrible idea and akin to the RW British government over here (Conservative led coalition)...

Many people have some health conditions which affect their weight and near starving or surgery would be the only way for them to lose weight...

Like folk with under active thyroids for instance, this would open up a can of worms just like how many Conservatives here in the UK would like to see disabled workers paid less...

It's as bad as racism and any kind of 'fat tax' would look demeaning & nasty.

Howeve there are some folk who just want to eat & eat but if they aren't bothering me personally then it's no concern of mine, is will never grudge paying my taxes regardless which part of the health sector my contributions go to.

I help pay toward binge drinkers and their idiotic behaviour bit I don't whi ge about that...but I will bring it up when some go on about drug addicts...

There is no-one better than the other.