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There needs to be a health tax on junk food. Can you imagine the revenue that could be used to pay for health care? I call on Premier Dexter to highly consider this. They tax the other shit that kills us….it’s high time that junk food be taxed.
—wgaf
This article appears in Aug 13-19, 2009.
28 Comments
Wow. I’m pretty sure I suggested this in a thread yesterday as a counter-argument to the sin tax on cigarettes, but I was being sarcastic. And it looks like someone actually agreed with it!
Weird…
What is it with some people in this country that want the govt. to totally involve themselves in every little decision you get to make? Why would you want the govt to impose further taxes on our already overtaxed backs? What next, a call to the govt to provide us all with protective bubbles to live in 24/7 so we don’t hurt ourselves?
Because some people haven’t grown up and need mommy and daddy (ie government) to make decisions for them. Don’t worry OB, I’m sure the government will put their paws into it for our benefit. Never met a government that didn’t like more money (ie taxes, fees, and now caps).
LOL the gov’t doesn’t tax cigs to “help” people stop smoking or whatever, they tax cigs to make an assload of cash. Kind of how they tax the shit out of gas. The government doesn’t care who dies from smoking cancer sticks and who doesn’t, they care about the $$$ they rake in from it, bottom line.
They just tax that stuff because we either NEED it (gas) or are addicted to it — and in either case we’d just keep buying it (well those who smoke and drive, that is). Junk food is something that could be given up WAY easier than gas or cigs.
Sure people are still going to buy junk food if it’s taxed, but the tax they’d add wouldn’t really be enough for the fuss they’d have to go through. Not like you can add 5 bucks tax onto a 3 dollar bag of doritos.
Also, places that sell junk food provide jobs, and I doubt the gov’t wants to deal with the fall out when fast food places close down and fuck off because they don’t ahve the clientele coming in. People will buy fast food because it’s cheap, a lot of the time….that’s a common thing I hear of from a lot of people I know — they don’t buy healthy food because it’s too expensive so they buy the junk food because it’s cheaper. So less people stuffing their gobbs with wendy’s = less jobs for students, uneducated, those who are educated and can’t get jobs, etc…
You think our economy sucks now…
I thought junk food was taxed (single portions, at least).
Gee, why not just take the proactive NS way and just ban it?
Sadly when you go into the grocery store it is cheaper to load up your cart with empty calories and junk than it is to load up your cart with whole grains and fresh fruit and vegetables. Maybe they should tax junk/heavily processed food and use the money to subsidise small farms. This would bring the costs of fresh, healthy, local foods down and make is more financially feasible for people to eat a healthy, nutritious diet.
“Not like you can add 5 bucks tax onto a 3 dollar bag of doritos.”
They can if they want to and think they can get away with it. Look how much they tax gasoline and heating oil. BTW don’t expect to get a cut on those taxes. We’re broke.
Jai….that is pure genius, but it will never happen sadly.
what about the skinny folks that NEVER take up more than 5 mins of a doc’s time per year, IF that. there should be a scale that calculates the BMI in front of the register; overweight = tax the junk food.
Nova Scotia is so ridiculously fat. 9/10 women are overweight.
I mentioned on a smoking bitch (in an obscure way) that I think it dangerous to let the government take away my personal choices through strong-arming tactics like taxation combined with the use of propaganda.
Although, it is really very clever and effective.
People have been turned against people on issues that used to be considered personal choice. Sides have been taken and battles are being fought. So far, it is about smoking. What’s next, I wonder? Oh yes, junk food. And then? Religion? Race? Height?
I find it disturbing that the government has turned its citizens against each other–especially a government that is running a numbers racket (gambling).
Like I said: we always assume that world domination (someone’s interpretation of Utopia) will come about with the use of wars, drugs that control and such things. It is more likely it will happen through nudgings in the ‘right’ direction–nudgings such as (health) taxes and propaganda.
Whew!
What were you saying about potato chips?
“Sadly when you go into the grocery store it is cheaper to load up your cart with empty calories and junk than it is to load up your cart with whole grains and fresh fruit and vegetables.”
It might be cheaper per calorie, but not per nutrients.
Also, junk food is already taxed at 13%. Fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, grains, etc. are not.
RANT: Cheap food (junk food, processed food, prepared handy little meals in the frozen foods section, boxed food like most cereals, soft drinks, etc.) are all LOADED with sodium (used as a preservative). Sodium is addictive – the more you consume, the more you want. Anything LOW FAT is HIGH SODIUM (check your labels) so it’s a lose/lose situation. Did you ever wonder how a loaf of bagged bread can stay soft for better than a week, but a bakery fresh loaf of bread goes hard within a day or so? Preservatives – aka – sodium.
Bottom line, pseudo food is cheaper but causes all manner of cancers as sodium dehydrates the body. In the end, it gets rid of a lot of people a lot faster and is a great savings on the health care system. You know, just like smoking :P.
Which is why people are living longer today than any other time in history.
People were considered old at 40 a few hundred years ago and earlier. I would wager that many people died of cancer, only they didn’t know what it was
Really Bro Tim? How many people do you personally know who have cancer or are cancer survivors. The ones that are living longer are not this generation nor the boomers. It’s the boomers’ parents who are living well into their 80s and 90s.
mmm yeah, Anomie. Sound argument. So therefore, using logical statistical calculations, that would mean the boomers and the x-ers and so on, should also live above average life spans compared to prior years. Take your head out of your ass before you comment here. Also, to PK, you make it sound like the government is making “oodles” of cash off taxes to make a profit or something. Where do you think this tax money goes to anyway?
Here’s a crazy idea: why don’t we all just mind our own business and let people live the way they want to live. I mean are fat people REALLY hurting you? Is that fat bitch who can barely fit into the booth at mcdicks REALLY ruining your life?
Maybe all the self righteous out there should take a good hard look at themselves and take care of their own shit before presuming to tell others how to live their lives.
“minding your own business”….concept kind of blows your mind to shit, doesn’t it?
I’ll eat to dat!
Pretty Kitty:
“Here’s a crazy idea: why don’t we all just mind our own business and let people live the way they want to live.”
(Reserved) Amen.
*Applauds Pretty Kitty’s suggestion*
More stupid generalizations. Not every heavy person takes up hours of their doctor’s time, nor does every skinny person not take up their doctor’s time.
Legalize pot and the tax coffers would be filled in no time.
What an assinine suggestion. Like we are not taxed enough already?!?! The government already has their head stuck into everything we do and now you want them to tax us for eating bad?! What next? Maybe a tax for letting your car idle too long? Ohhh..I have it!! How about a tax on farting!! Trust me, I pay MORE than enough fucking taxes in this country to cover the odd indicriminate Big Mac!!
Praise kitty… let’s allow the government AND our big-nosed neighbours to mind their OWN dam business. The government is not “Daddy for Adults”. Grow up, OP. Live your own life. Plan your own dam menu and book a nose job, would ya?
For the nay-sayers, have a look in the history books how Germans adored their beloved DICTATOR, Hitler. From their perspective he reflected their own values and then pushed those ‘values’ onto the rest of the world. You know what we did to Nazi Germany, OP? Don’t you dare bring that dictatorial shit here. Give your head a shake.
Check and mate. An argument isn’t an argument until Hitler is involved.
if they want people eating better, bring down the prices on healthy food! I can’t afford to stock my cupboards with health products as they would probably double my grocery order! People eat junk for a few reasons. 1. it tastes good 2. its quick and convenient 3. its CHEAP!!!
Why don’t you buy the ingredients to make your own pizza, burgers, etc. It would cost you almost double what you pay at a fast food joint
You can get fat on just about any food, dingbat. We going to nanny people’s portions in relation to their BMIs next?
i also think airlines should impose a fuel surcharge on FAT passengers… getting their fat arses into the air does eat up more fuel, after all ;~}