Should America Adopt a Fat Tax?

Using our tax system for societal manipulation compounds the immorality of taxation in general. It is time for the government to stop meddling in the lives of individuals and get back to its legitimate role...Whatever that is.

Taxes are supposed to be for the purpose of funding the LEGITIMATE purposes of government, not as a weapon to use against people who aren't behaving the way those pointy headed jerks want us to behave.

here here. ditto.

We should adopt a LEAN Congress! Those that go to Congress to do something and get rid of the FATTY DO NOTHINGS, Republicans!(:

I would LOVE a do nothing legislature. The problems which plague this country are caused by "representatives" who act as if they can legislate prosperity and morality. Both Republican and Democrats are over stepping the bounds that allow for a free society.

I say yes only to drive home a point about the slippery slope we here in the USA are all on towards losing any ability to choose what and what we can or can't do with our own bodies. If laws predicate from the harm one can do to another, including themselves, then where do u draw that "line"? What is the "line"? Is it drugs,,ok well then, legal ones or illegal? Caffeine?? When consumed in large amounts that too can be harmful especially to young kids. Over the counter stuff?? Last I checked cough medicine can be guzzled straight down for quite a hallucinegenic effect no??? Well if all those things are potential , what about those greasy artery clogging burgers from ALL the fast food joints we go to too?? LOL Fat tax, I say yes, and next a sugar tax, and next a caffeine tax,, maybe then society will finally get the point how rediculous it is that we as human beings need to be trusted to make our decisions as to how we are gonna live, not paper pushers in some office robbin me of my hard earned paycheck dollars lol!

No, that is just idiotic and a lame excuse to get more money out of us poor suckers.

with refundable credits ...
for skinny folks-

LOL!!

No, I think we have enough taxes thank you very much! Politicians sit around on our time dreaming up new and better ways to tax us.... send the nuts home and cut their salary - make them actually work for a living for a change!

A Flat tax would be the most fairest in the land.

The question was in regard to a "FAT" tax, NOT a flat tax!

true, but that's a topic that needs to be discussed too.... and since they brought it up...why not go there.

But I cannot think of anything more oppressive than a flat tax that has gone thru the roof ... I can visualize, with these sharks we have in Washington todayl, a 50% flat tax w/no deductions for all of us....could it be worse than that... a sales tax would be better so we could starve the bas@*%@& if we don't like what they are doing.... also it would get pimps, drug dealers and other cheats to finally pay taxes on their illegal income...

No more taxes of any kind. If stupid people get to be fat, that's just another part of being stupid. Fruits and veggies costs less than fatty, processed food-like crap, besides, food junkies will get their fix no matter what it costs.

What Denmark adopted is the tax on certain food that government deems as contributing to increased weight of the population. It is not a fat tax. A fat tax would be if Denmark taxed fat people more because they are fat.
Here is the reality in America. The poorer you are the fatter you are. Raising taxes on fatty food means that the poor Americans are less capable to buy food. Since this tax would directly affect the poor in this country and poor are classified under minority (blacks, Hispanics, whites but mostly blacks), it would be direct assault on minorities.
I assume that such tax would be seen in our country as a tax on poor rather than a fatty tax. Don't forget the diabetics, minority, they are fat too and protected by the ADA.
How about instead of fatty tax, like in Denmark, we implement a politician tax since they are being paid from taxpayer's money anyway. Let's say all the public officials pay 50% tax on their income. It is our money anyway? We pay for half of their SS, Medicare, almost all of their pension and healthcare, unemployment insurance. Why not impose a fatty tax on the people who are getting fat on your tax dollars instead on food they eat.
They have a choice to eat a salad or burger; the taxpayers don't have a choice to pay for one or the other.

politicians are actually currently paid less than the average middle class american. also,just a side note, but it would be an INDIRECT assault on minorities, if any at all. the assault would be on the poor, with no actual intent to harm minorities.

Not in the UK they're not. The average middle class wage is about £30K a year. Politicians get £60k a year plus expenses.

I beg to differ, I just read that 50 percent in congress are millionaires, so I wonder how they can represent the average joe who is not a millionaire.

rose

Did I actually say that politicians are paid less?
I have to disagree.
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/ch...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/r...
If the government is collecting such data, if scientists (funded by the government) are collecting such data, such data is collected for the government to:
A. Recognize a problem
B. Analyze the problem
C. Find optimum solution to the problem
D. Implement the solution to the problem
If collected data shows that minorities are the low-income population and obesity plaques low-income population, wouldn’t it mean minorities are obese?
Therefore; if the government wants to implement a fatty tax, it would be a direct assault on minorities done knowingly and with purpose.

More money to government hasn't cured anything, just made us less able to help ourselves or our family....cut government income and I think a lot of problems would go away...just let people solve their own problems and leave them enough money so they can help their own families...its a lot more compassionate than some government agency!

You are so correct. I have talked to my mom today, she lives in Poland. Always lived in Poland, 70 years now. We, she and I came to the same conclusion talking about the politicians in both countries. The conclusion was that they are nothing more but greedy individuals trying to secure their own well being first and foremost.
I had this crazy idea of tying the politicians, public servants compensation to nation’s average compensation of workers in public sector. Same salary of $42,000 a year same health insurance and same 401K plan as everyone else. My gut tells me that this simple rule would save the taxpayer a lot of money that we have to borrow from China or the Fed. It would weed out carrier politicians and maybe put people in the office who actually care about the USA rather than their own asses.
Just a thought.
Or we could tie the politician’s salaries and benefits to those in military. They both serve the country right? Why there is a difference?

There are already too damned many taxes for literally everything in this country. It's ridiculous to think that taxing anything is a deterrent to it's use when positive reinforcement of good habits has a more immediate effect.

You get more flies with honey, people.

No One But paul

but if congress passes the tax i guess that means the gop supports more taxes and just cost them the election of 2012

BUT, if they are going to make the rest of us pay for the Health care issues of the obese, then I do think either the obese should be forced into a higher risk pool, or penalized for not making the necessary changes in their life that would ultimately give them a better quality of life, and cost the rest of us less for their expenses. The obese have the same effect on making healthcare unaffordle by raising rates, as does those who milk out unemployment or don't NEED disability- they take from those who Really have legitamite claims, destroy the overall health of such programs, and enable unproductive lifestyles.

Thank you, you have just highlighted why government run healthcare is such a nightmare...because now your health, your lifestyle and personal habits become of great interest to the "collective"....we now have to do what's best for "everyone"....your personal needs and wants become irrelevant...you must eat correctly, live correctly, work out as they instruct or you won't get the care you need and it won't be up to your Dr anymore...he will have to get approval from a coldblooded government agent who doesn't know you or care a tinkersdamn about you...Your Dr. will basically have to follow directives from the government because now your life and health are of interest to the government because your money for healthcare is now transferred to them to manage and it becomes "there money" and now you have to beg to get it back and if you aren't following the new rules (which will also include political as well down the road you can be sure)...you will be denied healthcare and probably incur penalties...and you can be absolutely sure that your elderly relatives, aging parents and grandparents will be seen as "too expensive for the needs of the collective" and eventually be denied the care they need to stay alive... in fact many of you do not know that they are already putting "Do Not Resuscitate" on the hospital charts of older folk that are on medicare...so as to avoid the big expense to government funds....

We need to ban things that cause obesity like fatty foods and MSG. Hot dogs should be outlawed. Fast foods can be made healthier ,if the public demanded it. Stop frying food with carcinogenic oils. Tax the GMO foods so high no one will purchase them. Stop the chemicals in processed foods. Stop growing our food in toxic sewage sludge. Quit using mayonase and fatty salad dressings. There are healthier alternatives.

Ah, the Liberal dreams of tyranny is alive and well. This must be the infamous "Liberal tolerance" they so love to remind everyone of and how they believe "personal choice".

And what's your vice....let's ban that too....where will it end...nowhere...we'll end in hovels like Moscow cowering in our closets whispering so no one will snitch on us.... I'll opt for freedom...it's not perfect but it's oneheckuva lot nicer than living under a dictatorial government....because believe me that's not perfect either!

Without a doubt; unhealthy "food" should be taxed and cost more than healthy food especially if tax payers are footing the medical bills.
I get "it's the not governments job to tell me what I can eat" and I agree, if you are paying for your own healthcare bills.

She is exactly right. And this is exactly why we should not allow Obama Care!

There's the inevitable trap....if taxpayers are footing the bill for thus and such....we need to control and punish them for thus and such....sounds like a fun life to me.... you're falling into the fascist trap wherein government gets to dictate your every move and you have to start looking over your shoulder everytime you do anything...no thanks!

Then let us not pay their medical bills and people can eat crap; if they can't afford to pay the high costs associated with an unhealthy lifestyle then they shouldn't have the unhealthy lifestyle.

It isn't government's place to force a healthy lifestyle on people who choose not to live one.

That's Liberal tolerance, they tolerate only what they approve of and tax or ban the rest.

It's a sad world.

or in the end....kill it!