Fat Tax! Eat what you're told.

[belfpala]

only healthy food that fill me up are jacket/baked potatoes, spaghetti bolognaise and rice with tuna, all the other stuff healthy wise doesnt fil you up so you end up buying more spending more money than you would on junk food, soon we will be taxed for breathing if u breath less than average a minute thats a £10 tax taken fro myour wages

That's 100% absolutely not true. The foods that are bad for you are often the least filling. The foods that are best for you are often the most filling.

You said the word "me" so I'll respect your opinion. But I'd suggest that you can very quickly (within a week or two) adjust your opinion by actually trying a healthy diet. Start with kale and whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, or buckwheat; throw in some beans for added effect (dried, not canned). Edit: You might have to actually COOK in order to make these things cost-effective, which I mentioned previously is actually the problem; processed foods are quick and easy, but in the end more expensive.

---------- Post added 2011-11-16 at 10:31 PM ----------

Ah, the magic of trans-fats and MSG.

Trans-fats... bad.

MSG... pretty much nothing wrong with it. Glutamic acid is an amino acid present in almost everything we eat. Tomatoes, for example, are incredibly high in natural glutamic acid. It's the "fifth taste" known as umami, or savoriness. The only thing wrong with added MSG is that it makes unhealthy foods like flavored chips taste better. If used correctly, MSG, or other sources of umami (look for autolyzed yeast extract on your ingredient labels... that's MSG), can allow you to reduce the salt and fat in foods while retaining flavor.

[Sunseeker]

MSG... pretty much nothing wrong with it.

I was mostly referring to the fact that it is often a "filler" substance that makes an otherwise empty meal seem more filling than normal.

[Venziir]

Alright, first off some background information.

The Danish Socialist Government has reached an agreement to exclude certain products from the supermarkets, containing what they describe as 'dangerously high' amounts of natural fat. They have also imposed a fat tax to all products with more fat than, basically, as bisquit. And that's not hard to reach.

Start by reading this article:
http://www.healthiertalk.com/breakin...#comment-23994

Back yet? Good.

So, as you can see, even the fats that are healthy for your body in order to stay disease immune and resistant are being overtaxed. The average danish citizen already pays the most tax in europe from their salary, pay communal import taxes on stuff like benzen (used in cigarettes) cars (A whopping 180% import tax, 160% registration tax) and gas (a 'mere' 40%/gal)

This brings me to the debate I want to raise here on the forums. Do you think it's fair that a government has the rights, through taxes, deciding what's good and bad for you? Do they have the right to determine what you should and should not eat, based on making their income bigger to pay for fluked projects? Is it okay to take away your natural freedom of choice based on a table of 'expects' who are running a personal agenda?

It's very clear that the fat tax is hurting Denmark in terms of adding taxes to products which are essential - if not vital - for our existance, only for them to get more of our money and looking righteous while doing so.

Is this okay?

.... Errr wrong. Denmark is not a socialist country. First of all, the concept is called "social democracy", and if you think that it's the same as socialism, you need to get your terms straight. Granted another government party is "SF" (socalistic people party), but even their values are far away from true socialism. Get it right please. Also yes, we pay a lot of taxes, but do you even know how the tax system works in Denmark? We get money from the government if we study, we have free healthcare and etc.

[Dembai]

Sadly, some people can't be trusted to eat a balanced diet or exercise properly and/or regularly. It's because of the fat/idle and lazy that taxes like this are even being considered.

If it does nothing else it will shame and marginalise fat people for being fat. Oh well, they'd better lose some weight then.

I'm not justifying the Government for taxing the products they've chosen to tax... They're pointing the magnifying glass at the wrong food types personally... I'd make white bread cost about £15 a loaf.

I propose that once a year every person take a body fat % test. The higher your body fat % over a pre-defined number, the more tax you pay. Your tax band is set at that limit for 12 months so you're given adequate time to improve on your score before next year's test. Plenty of time to get it to within a healthy range. Announce that the "Body Fat tax" will be introduced in 2013 and give everyone a free no-bullshit leaflet on reducing weight. 01-Jan-13 introduce tests and watch people shit their pants.

This.

I'm an obese woman - and THIS is the solution you're looking for. You want to tax people who "are the problem"? TAX THE PEOPLE...not the food.

Canada has a "fat-tax" too - anything considered to be a snack food has a sales tax, where everything that is not, has no tax. Taxed: Chips, Pop, Flavoured nuts, sugary treats, and most anything you can "open and eat" as a single serving. This may include given "diet foods" for having too high a sugar content, certain juices that do not fit a low-sugar standard, etc. However, this doesn't cover certain basic foods, such as sugar, white bread or any form of frozen food that has more than one serving - including pizzas, ice cream or popsicles, also - cookies, sugary cereals...not taxed.

It's a little uneven.

But even so - you want to make a "fat tax"? You tax the FAT PEOPLE. When you go to hand in your income tax for the year, you stand on a scale, you find out how freaking overweight you are, and you pay extra for being a fatty.

But taxing fatty foods is SO dangerous and SO outrageous...I find it VERY worrisome. Fats are important to development, brain health and functioning. Sugars MAKE fat...SUGAR (and other simple carbs) should be taxed, not FAT!

---------- Post added 2011-11-18 at 01:18 PM ----------

I was mostly referring to the fact that it is often a "filler" substance that makes an otherwise empty meal seem more filling than normal.

Actually it's a tasteless substance that makes you thirsty as well as making the food taste "really good". It IS bad in so much as many people are allergic to it, and can be linked to a shady business concept of selling more drinks, while potentially making the customers sick.

If you want a good way of finding out which restaurants are using it (usually Asian) - always order a glass of WATER as well as your drink of choice. You'll reach for the water first, instinctively if there's MSG. XD

[Sunseeker]

But even so - you want to make a "fat tax"? You tax the FAT PEOPLE. When you go to hand in your income tax for the year, you stand on a scale, you find out how freaking overweight you are, and you pay extra for being a fatty.

Provided of course, that they have a legitimate system of measurement, IMO: the displacement system is a good one.

[moesan]

Provided of course, that they have a legitimate system of measurement, IMO: the displacement system is a good one.

which system are you talking about?

[Deleted]

In my opinion natural consequences are just fine.