Stop Fat? Tax Calories
It worked with cigarettes. Now some are thinking it may work for food -- tax those who eat too much. Well, you're not taxing the people, per se, but the calories they eat. A story today at The Washington Post notes that "an increase in the price of a calorie regardless of its source would improve obesity outcomes,” according to a working paper that three researchers prepared for a private, nonprofit bureau, according to Peter Whoriskey. The main culprit for one out of three Americans being fat or obese? Low food prices, Whoriskey reports. If we raised the taxes on sugary drinks, fast food and junk food, would people stop buying it, as they did cigarettes? No one quite knows, but could you really tax something people need to live? I suppose you could say we don't need Big Macs or giant Slurpees but the fear is that raising the prices on some foods probably would raise them on all, like fruits and vegetables, too, making them too expensive for many to buy, ...