Discussions
Should we tax FAST Food?
Posted by Timesobserver • 10/06/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: fast food, junk food, tax
A CNN columnist suggested that we should tax fast food, in order for people to stop eating McDonald's and eating healthier.
What are the good and bad points of this?
Check out my blog for my take. And feel free to comment on here and on my blog. And don't forget the poll!
www.thetimesobserver.com/tax_fat.php
User Comments
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When I was an English teacher, I heard about syntax.
The tax *everything* these days!
(A tip of the hat to Walt Kelly, of Pogo fame, for that gag.) -
The CNN columnist apparently doesn't understand the concept of "tax". The power of taxation exists for one purpose, which is to raise money with which to conduct the business of government.-
actually, Tiffany, I have to object just a bit. yes, raising money for government operations is the Primary reason for taxes, there are many taxes that are imposed in an attempt to influence behavior. (cigarette taxes come to mind off the top of my head). Whether taxes _should_ be used for social engineering or to discourage bad behavior is a legitimate question, imho -
It does happen, Alan; whether or not it's legal is a different question. Generally, even those taxes aimed at social engineering must be persuasively presented in terms of legitimate revenue-based considerations in order to be upheld.
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They should say FAT tax-
Really? Would they be taxing fat? Would it be by weight or volume? Would fat-free foods at a fast-food restaurant, such as fruit, be tax-free? Would the tax on a hamburger be different depending upon the leanness of the beef?
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NO it is what most people can afford right now and if they tax it then people will starve. Why not tax our politicans on their extra ncomes and pocket lining money they keep getting-
Amy, do you really think that fast food is less expensive than buying groceries?
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It can be if bought right. I have feed (my ex and his friends) cheaper that way in the past. By the time you take in the time it took to cook it, the price of groceries for the individual in the stores now a days, the energy it took to cook it, and the ingredients needed yes it can be cheaper to eat out. The key is look for specials that places are offering and use advertisements to save money.
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Great, now we can link this to healthcare, immigration and whatnot
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Cook County has had this tax in place for years. Get fast food in Cook County and you'll pay about a $1 more than you would in neighboring counties.
Say you went to Taco Bell and bought a 4.99 meal. You'll end up spending close to 7 dollars for your quickie meal.-
Has it had any effect? Are people eating less fast food in Cook County than in the neighboring counties?
I think a tax on fast food is a rather dumb idea. Sure, it's not the healthiest food for you, but isn't there enough interference with people's lives even without the government trying to control what you eat as well? I don't eat much junk food, but if I want a burger, I want my burger without being penalized for it, dangit. -
Cook County from Illinois? I sometimes eat fast food and I notice the tax is a bit higher than it is with other food. Incidentally, the sales tax is normal if you buy junk food from a 7-11. -
Yes, Cook County in Illinois.
I don't think it has made one bit of difference on fast food sales in Cook County.
When it's from 7-11, it's considered a grocery item, not fast food. -
Well, the tax law is not very consistent. Supposedly the intent of the tax was to drive people to spend less on fatty foods. But they're only singling out restaurants.
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This talk of fast food is making me hungry! -
Oh god.
Why not let people be responsible for their own actions and keep your hands out my damn pocket. -
Let's tax slow food.
Too damn slow. -
Yes we should... and while we are at it, lets tax water and oxygen too........................ lol -
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Nice blog BTW. The "Fat Tax"(s) are coming. Like it or not. It will be a tremendous revenue generator for the political machine. Figure the "fat tax" on soda is already estimated to garner about $14 billion per year stuffed into the health care kitty to help fund or offset expenses related to obesity. It is no surprise that the annual estimated cost of obesity is running about $14 billion of the $147 billion health care budget. Plan on a 10-20% increase. How else are we going to replenish the coffers? Increase taxes..sales taxes have already gone up in several states, there will be a tax on sugary beverages to the tune of 10-20%, fast food 10-20%, utilities (cell phones, natural gas, heating oil, electricity, water etc.) 10-15%, Garbage disposal 10-15%, Gas tax 10-20%, and the list goes on. Regressive taxes on the poor and middle class? I don't know, what do you think? Watch and learn. I wrote a blog post on the "Fat Tax" last month if your interested and have been blogging and commenting about these particular tax increases for almost a year now. Hang in there and good luck everyone.-
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I tried to get onto yours, but an error message said that the page or server was down.
You make a great point about how much money could be generated with a fast food tax.
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The only way that a tax on fast food could really work is if every bit of advertising for the food told you how much tax you were spending in buying it. We know that cigarettes have had blackened lungs, big bold text announcing cancer risk, etc on the packaging for some time and this has little deterrence value. Instead, people need to know that they are choosing to spend some dollar figure to get the fast food.
Of course which company is going to advertise that their food is bad for you and because of that you are spending some amount of extra dollars on it. While I like the idea of taxing the bad bahaviour, it would be very hard to do effectively. -
No. People eating fast food is a choice that does not harm anyone else. It's not like smoking where second hand smoke is a huge problem to others. Who cares if someone eats a burger and fries?-
you're so right. did i read somewhere something about taxing soft drinks? new york or something? i vaguely remember reading about a so-called "obesity tax"... -
Yes, I remember something about an obesity tax too. It's pretty sad that people would even think of these things.
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Of course not. that's just stupid. just like the soda tax. I think someone watched the movie Demolitan Man and thought- Hey what a great idea!
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