Fat Tax

[jack97]

It's also a fairly slippery slope. Do you tax people for other activities that put them at increased risk? I'm more likely to put strain on the health care system as a skier than someone who doesn't go flying down a steep, icy hill with a couple of planks of wood attached to their feet. What about taxing people with genetic predispositions for costly diseases for having children? Where does it end?

this will weed out the genetic defects, sometimes I think Sparta had the right idea. Get rid of the weak and keep the strong for the benefit of the state. We just need a class of Melots (?) to do the mundane work.... maybe more mexicans should cross the border.

 

[Johnskiismore]

On the initial subject on taxing non diet soda is just dumb. Tax both or none at all, please, like another poster said drinking non diet soda will do you no good if you have six a day! We've all seen or heard of the big order at McDonalds followed by a 'Diet Coke'. Or in one of my lines in work people ask for the low-carb beer, or a light beer for that matter, but end up having way more than one! Oh yeah, we're drinking healthy now!

I agree with what a lot of you have said that obesity is burdening our hospitals and health care professionals (understatement I know), but is a tax really going to change people's habits? Why are people eating/drinking too much junk? Is it really lack of education or just plain laziness? Why aren't more people out running or doing some sort of physical activity daily?

 

[tjf67]

Targeted tax is akin to a user fee

. With diabetes and obesity( Both juvenile and adult ) mushrooming out of control and the resultant impact on health care costs ( YOURS and MINE ) to take care of folks who neither have health insurance or the WILL to alter their lifestyle choices forces this action as well as the need to contain health care costs -- this was done with TOBACCO

-- SO while this tax may seem frivolous it is a serious attempt to manage MANY cost deficits that heretofore have been paid from our collective largesse -- similar to what happened with tobacco

FI folks want to kill themselves with drugs , tobacco and uncontrolled consumption of sugar FINE but i for one am getting TIRED of SUBSIDIZING their healthcare for those who lack the willpower to change bad nutritional behavior

Dude your a retired professor, how much do you pay for health care? What exactly are you subsidizing?

 

[tjf67]

If everybody is fit and in shape..then the death rate will go down and I'll lose business.

How can the death rate go down?

 

[Warp Daddy]

Dude your a retired professor, how much do you pay for health care? What exactly are you subsidizing?

DUDE : I also OWNED my own BUSINESS with EMPLOYEES and INCURRED several thousands of dollars each year in THOSE costs and BTW i pay 3600 as a retired educator too

 

[Glenn]

I also think that corporate-subsidized healthcare should have penalties if you are not living a healthy life. At a minimum, smoking, obesity, and poor exercise should all cause the employee contribution to go up dramatically. This is accepted as a matter of course with automobile insurance. It's insane that everybody pays the same for health insurance.

That's the angle I was going for. I certainly don't want to get into the policy of heath insurance at all because that's almost getting political.

I'm 32, in good health, go to the gym regularly and watch what I eat. What bothers me is that I pay the same amount of insurance premium as the fattyboombalatty who's had gastric bypass, eats like crap and is probably at the doctor weekly. It's like me paying the same insurance rate as "Junior" who's crashed his Civic a few times, has multiple speeding tickets, oh, and he's 16.

There are laws out there that don't allow companies to charge different rates for insurance. I think those could be tweaked.

One thing I am tired of hearing: Being "fat" is somehow a disability. Are some people genetically disposed to be that way? Sure. But certainly not 100% of the large n' in charge people out there. You make a lot of choices daily...from the food you eat, to the amount of time you spend on your arse. Habbits can be changed. I modified what I ate a little bit and lost 20lbs since last year. It ain't rocket science people.

 

[Johnskiismore]

One thing I am tired of hearing: Being "fat" is somehow a disability. Are some people genetically disposed to be that way? Sure. But certainly not 100% of the large n' in charge people out there. You make a lot of choices daily...from the food you eat, to the amount of time you spend on your arse. Habbits can be changed. I modified what I ate a little bit and lost 20lbs since last year. It ain't rocket science people.

+10

 

[davidhowland14]

It's like me paying the same insurance rate as "Junior" who's crashed his Civic a few times, has multiple speeding tickets, oh, and he's 16.

Or me, at 17 being charged the same amount as my classmates who go out, break 90 in a 55 zone, total their cars and kill someone. I go the speed limit, stop at stop signs, and drive extremely safely. And yet I pay the same insurance as my incredibly stupid comrades-in-age. Or how bout the fact that old people don't pay hugely high rates or face driving tests despite the fact that they regularly confuse the gas with the brake and drive into swimming pools, drift over the center line, fail to see stop signs and red lights, etc, etc.

One thing I am tired of hearing: Being "fat" is somehow a disability. Are some people genetically disposed to be that way? Sure. But certainly not 100% of the large n' in charge people out there. You make a lot of choices daily...from the food you eat, to the amount of time you spend on your arse. Habbits can be changed. I modified what I ate a little bit and lost 20lbs since last year. It ain't rocket science people.

I definitely agree with you there. The culture that has convinced our children that everyone has good ideas and everyone is right has condition us that things like obesity are not the faults of the obese people. To a certain degree, you can be predisposed to it. But a little hard work and you can solve that problem.

 

[snoseek]

I'm all over taxing soda, diet soda, candy, salty snacks with no redeeming qualities. It would be nice if this money wasn't pooled with the general tax funds and kept separately for some sort of plan for health care and creating a fitter nation (how they do that I haven't a clue). We are indeed a nation of mouthbreathers and we will pay dearly in the long run if no action is taken....

Time for some pretzles.

 

[mondeo]

I'm all over taxing soda, diet soda, candy, salty snacks with no redeeming qualities. It would be nice if this money wasn't pooled with the general tax funds and kept separately for some sort of plan for health care and creating a fitter nation (how they do that I haven't a clue). We are indeed a nation of mouthbreathers and we will pay dearly in the long run if no action is taken....

Time for some pretzles.

So let's tax cars more heavily because if people rode bikes they'd be healthier.

Let's tax bikes because if people walked they'd be healthier than if they rode a bike.

Movies and books. Go out and exercise.

Ski resorts. If people earned turns rather than getting lift served...

Hell, let's just turn the clock back and make us an agrarian, subsistence society again. If all people did was worked the fields, they'd be much healthier.

The fact is that buying snacks with no redeeming qualities, on its own, does not make one unhealthy. Hell, there'll be times when I eat an entire package of Oreos. But for the most part it'll be a few weeks between binges where I'll eat decently healthy and excercise an hour + every day. When it comes down to it, there's really nothing that bad about it, and I could do far worse by eating 3500 calories every day of food with "redeeming" qualities and no excercise.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I'm all over taxing soda, diet soda, candy, salty snacks with no redeeming qualities. It would be nice if this money wasn't pooled with the general tax funds and kept separately for some sort of plan for health care and creating a fitter nation (how they do that I haven't a clue). We are indeed a nation of mouthbreathers and we will pay dearly in the long run if no action is taken....

Time for some pretzles.

Can't people just enjoy all that stuff...and help the snack food company executives get fatter monetarily speaking??? I freaking love combos..it would be cool if you could plant a combo and grow a combo tree..:idea: If I have to pay an extra dime for a bag of combos due to the fat tax..I'm down..the pizza flavored combos and goldfish crackers as well make me feel like I'm in a real New York City Pizzeria..lol

 

[snoseek]

So let's tax cars more heavily because if people rode bikes they'd be healthier.

Let's tax bikes because if people walked they'd be healthier than if they rode a bike.

Movies and books. Go out and exercise.

Ski resorts. If people earned turns rather than getting lift served...

Hell, let's just turn the clock back and make us an agrarian, subsistence society again. If all people did was worked the fields, they'd be much healthier.

The fact is that buying snacks with no redeeming qualities, on its own, does not make one unhealthy. Hell, there'll be times when I eat an entire package of Oreos. But for the most part it'll be a few weeks between binges where I'll eat decently healthy and excercise an hour + every day. When it comes down to it, there's really nothing that bad about it, and I could do far worse by eating 3500 calories every day of food with "redeeming" qualities and no excercise.

Not really the same imho....although I can see taxing larger vehicles as they themselves have an overall hidden cost. I am all about more consumer taxes and less income, especially with non-essential things. A package of oreos is o.k. to buy but has a much bigger strain on our society than say a dozen apples.

I agree it's a fine line to determine what is healthy and not healthy but I can promise that many companies begin to reformulate their product to become healthier. Just look at the shelves of an average grocery store and the sheer amount of crap they sell...that speaks volumes about how Americans purchase food. I think cookies, crackers, and chips could all fit in one aisle.

 

[mondeo]

Not really the same imho....although I can see taxing larger vehicles as they themselves have an overall hidden cost. I am all about more consumer taxes and less income, especially with non-essential things. A package of oreos is o.k. to buy but has a much bigger strain on our society than say a dozen apples.

I agree it's a fine line to determine what is healthy and not healthy but I can promise that many companies begin to reformulate their product to become healthier. Just look at the shelves of an average grocery store and the sheer amount of crap they sell...that speaks volumes about how Americans purchase food. I think cookies, crackers, and chips could all fit in one aisle.

You're missing the point, though. It's not what people eat, it's their entire lifestyle that matters. Food is just a small part of that. If someone exercises 2 hours a day, but eats 1000 calories of crap a day on top of a balanced diet, who cares? They're getting the right nutrition and aren't eating in excess of what they burn off. When it comes down to it, a perfectly healthy lifestyle.

 

[Glenn]

Here's what worries me about the "fat" tax. I see it the same as the cig tax: Good intentions, but the government will just pilfer the taxes and dump it in the general fund. If the cig tax is any indication, they'll then b!tch when people start eating better, but their tax revenues from the fat tax start going down.

I just wish people would take a bit more personal reseponsibility. We need to realize that we make a lot of our own choices and can't blame a company for what we decide to put in our bellies.

 

[campgottagopee]

yep a "new -- GAS tax too --- especially imposed @ Tex/Mex restaurants to be called the BOOBA bag tax

Almost
http://www.cnycentral.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=232250

 

[Warp Daddy]

Almost
http://www.cnycentral.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=232250

Right on target Camp !! we saw it up here and all our aggies are rightfully raising Hell about it -- friggin idiot bureaucrats

 

[Geoff]

You're missing the point, though. It's not what people eat, it's their entire lifestyle that matters. Food is just a small part of that. If someone exercises 2 hours a day, but eats 1000 calories of crap a day on top of a balanced diet, who cares? They're getting the right nutrition and aren't eating in excess of what they burn off. When it comes down to it, a perfectly healthy lifestyle.

Right....

Which is why I think the incentives and penalties should be on abdominal fat and overall fitness level. If somebody allows themselves to be obese and out of shape, the incremental cost to society should cost them something. Think of what it costs to treat somebody with type 2 diabetes or heart disease. Most of the time, those are self-induced. Similarly, people should be rewarded for staying in shape and maintaining their proper body weight.

Some incentives that might make sense:
* Lower healthcare deductable if you are fit and your proper body weight
* Make gym memberships and similar physical activities tax deductable
* Food stamps double in value for buying complex carbs and lean protein sources

 

[tjf67]

I'm all over taxing soda, diet soda, candy, salty snacks with no redeeming qualities. It would be nice if this money wasn't pooled with the general tax funds and kept separately for some sort of plan for health care and creating a fitter nation (how they do that I haven't a clue). We are indeed a nation of mouthbreathers and we will pay dearly in the long run if no action is taken....

Time for some pretzles.

Of course you are, you dont eat any of those foods. How about they tax your ski ticket cause people who ski are more likely to get hurt. You may not like that.

hell why not just add a tax to people in bands of ages as they get older. It is a fact older people need more health care service.

 

[jack97]

Right....

Which is why I think the incentives and penalties should be on abdominal fat and overall fitness level. If somebody allows themselves to be obese and out of shape, the incremental cost to society should cost them something. Think of what it costs to treat somebody with type 2 diabetes or heart disease. Most of the time, those are self-induced. Similarly, people should be rewarded for staying in shape and maintaining their proper body weight.

Some incentives that might make sense:
* Lower healthcare deductable if you are fit and your proper body weight
* Make gym memberships and similar physical activities tax deductable
* Food stamps double in value for buying complex carbs and lean protein sources

I like the approach but that will never fly in this political climate.

btw, I use to workout in a gym where some of the regulars were not in the best of shape. Plenty of beer belly playing tennis as a casual thing. See folks just moving the legs around on the elipticals at the lowest settings. Just because you belong in a gym does not mean you are in shape... just mean you belong in a gym.

 

[severine]

I know what you mean, guys, but really, I'm for less government involvement and taxing than more. Isn't this supposed to be the land of the free? There are plenty of other risky things I'm sure you people do that put you in a bracket that you should pay more for health care/car insurance/whatever but you don't. It all evens out in the end, doesn't it? Why should government dictate what you eat? The next thing you know, we'll all be in standardized uniforms with barcodes and only allowed to do what our genetic code predisposes us to... and have to apply for permits for everything from skiing to having sex (because the risk of you procreating and carrying on your genetic code...oh my, the horrors!!!!!).

Common sense. That's all that's needed. And balance.