Denmark institutes fat tax

jugg

Why not

Denmark is to introduce one of the world’s first-ever “fat taxes,” in a pioneering move to slim the country’s waistlines and combat heart disease.
From this Saturday, the price of a pack of butter will soar by 50 cents, a bag of potato chips by 12 cents, and a pound of ground beef by 20 cents, as the government levies the new tax of 2.50 euros per kilogram ($1.60 per pound) of saturated fat

source

Darth Beaver

This world has gone mad due to liberal/socialist thought police who mistakenly believe they can control peoples desires with pieces of paper that they sign.

chippy

That's not going to work. It's like putting up the price of cigarettes to stop people smoking. OK a few will give up but most just find the extra money. It's a thinly veiled attempt to increase taxes is all. To tax fat properly they need to put a persons average weight on an identity card, and charge more for public transport, Taxi fares, air travel and anything that uses seating like theatre tickets, cinema etc.

Darth Beaver

Or they could just outlaw putting synthetic garbage in food that allows huge corporations to reap obscene profits from food.

jehsiboi

TheDarkRodent wrote:

Or they could just outlaw putting synthetic garbage in food that allows huge corporations to reap obscene profits from food.

This

Slartibartfast

They've implemented a tax on transfat. If you count the cost obese people put on their national healthcare it may be an economically sound idea.
I thought New York was running a similar campaign. They outright banned the stuff though:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2008/pr041-08.shtml

jehsiboi

This is flawed seeing as fat is not the only thing that makes people fat ... There are other thing to take into account like sugars carbs and of course how much you actually eat! are they going to implement a tax on sugars and tax people who don't exercise enough ... Or how about just make people sign a log of how much they eat and if they go over ... Bam taxhammered .. The list is endless tax won't stop anything it will just piss people off ... And also what are they going to spend this extra tax on? Will 100% of it go into programs and education to help people live more active lives and have proper nutrition? Wait I can answer that ... NO It won't .. Or will they use this extra tax to make vegetables lean meat and fresh health produce in general cheaper to the public ... Probably not ... Useless taxes are fucking evil devices to line the governments pockets. so they can all get pay rises and fucking smoke cigars and drink champagne in their yachts and country clubs talking about the little people and laughing all the way to the bank in their fucking bmws and audis running on fuel payed for by the hard working tax payer ...



... Rant over.

MayorofMonkeytown

The law is aimed in the wrong direction.

Outlaw being fat.

angryonion

I see fat people as a potential future energy source.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-503419/Eco-boat-powered-human-fat-attempts-round-world-speed-record.html

This whole fat tax is bullshit,its just a way to generate more revenue so they can spend it on people who don't deserve anything.

MayorofMonkeytown

TheDarkRodent wrote: »

Or they could just outlaw putting synthetic garbage in food that allows huge corporations to reap obscene profits from food.

Manufacturers will begin to change their habits as a result of this tax; the progress will continue in that direction.
Already theres huge consumer backlash against various additivies and manufacturers are seeking to capitalise on that change in sentiment. Another example of the free market in action.

Meanwhile the leftist idea of dopping a law that bans (or heavily taxes) whats involved in the majority of manufactured food would create a crisis.