UK could introduce 'fat tax', says David Cameron

[European blood]

The government will consider introducing a "fat tax" to tackle Britain's growing obesity levels, the prime minister, David Cameron, has said.

Cameron said drastic action was needed to prevent health costs soaring and life expectancy falling.

Under measures introduced in Denmark recently, a surcharge is being placed on foods that contain more than 2.3% saturated fat. The levy targets high-fat products such as butter, milk, cheese, pizza, meat, oil and processed food.

Danish consumers have criticised the move, which has left many retailers complaining of excessive bureaucracy.

However, Cameron said the introduction of a similar idea in the UK should not be ruled out.

"I think it is something that we should look at," he told 5 News during a round of broadcast interviews at the Tory conference in Manchester. "The problem in the past when people have looked at using the tax system in this way is the impact it can have on people on low incomes.

"But frankly, do we have a problem with the growing level of obesity? Yes. Do we have a kind of warning in terms of – look at America, how bad things have got there – what happens if we don't do anything? Yes, that should be a wake-up call."

He added: "I am worried about the costs to the health service, [and] the fact that some people are going to have shorter lives than their parents."

He warned that obesity was on the verge of overtaking smoking and drinking as the biggest health challenge facing Britain.

"Don't rule anything out, but let's look at the evidence and let's look at the impact on families," he added.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...-david-cameron

[Aces High]

Cameron said drastic action was needed to cash in on this recent phenomenon and try and squeeze some more cash out of the already long suffering british taxpayer.

[rhiannon]

Now if only the US would do the same thing....we'd have our trillion dollar national debt paid off inside of a week

[GeistFaust]

Its about time Great Britain and a few other European countries get on top of this obesity issue before they start looking like America and Mexico. Its unfortunate though that these governments need to place a tax on this problem and excuse the obesity issues in that said country. Its just a way for the government to get a little bit rich off the population and I do not think it will curb the obesity issue a great deal. If people have an obsession or addiction with fatty foods you better believe they will be going to the store to buy these items regardless of the price. You have to remember some of these people's lives is sadly focused and self-centered around food which is unhealthy.



The government can not stop but local institutions could help curb the tie because as all might know most social issues start at the micro-sociological level and permeate than throughout society through systems and networks. The normal weight in the Western world has increased and people who were once seen as rather fat are now seen as being mid-range or even skinny. This trend will not stop anytime soon as people seem to be relentless about stuffing their faces and in a way I think the government and elites want this.



A population that is obsessed with food and distracts itself from more important matters by overindulging in gluttonous frenzies and binges signifies a population that is declining genetically, anthropologically, and psychologically. The west has fattened itself up due to the greedy and horrendously selfish nature of big businessmen and corporations who make a profit off of mass production and cheap labor.



In a way these governments are just as for the fattening up their population as they against it because they know its a way to keep them weak willed, ignorant, and content. The nature of society has become a reflection of the big businesses and corporations and this is self-evident in the gluttonous self-indulging of the public in the west. The Big Businesses and Corporations work in unison with the state more or less and are being utilized to quell the public so the state can enforce its agendas and ideologies down their throats.

[Beorn]

It wasn't in his interests to introduce a 'rich cunt tax'. Now that would have pulled in some money.

[Phil75231]

A "fat tax" will be minimally effective at most. There'll ahve to be a wholesale cultural change - and look how long it took for the anti-smoking climate to develop to full fruition, about 50 years after the US Surgeon General determined smoking is dangerous to your health. It'll probably be our lifetimes before an anti-fat 'ethic' comes to fruition in the UK, USA, and other land.

Still, this is a double-edged sword. Obese people should not be mocked or ridiculed for their problems. Some may genuinely have a slow metabolism or otherwise health problem causing them to be obese. This is one social movement that needs to tread very lightly about -see the obese (especially the super-obese) as people who need help and support, rather than mockery and ridicule (as those the ladder ever solved anything!!)

[Rochefaton]

Screw a fat tax, that will be a drag on the already shaky economy.

Make people meet certain physical requirements for healthcare service in the UK. If your body mass index is not within a certain range due to non-medical issues, then you could be denied service from the public healthcare system until you got your weight under control.

[Sahson]

Now if only the US would do the same thing....we'd have our trillion dollar national debt paid off inside of a week

Medicaid/Medicare is already costing the US $812 million more than Social Security. I'd never in my life the US could spend more money on something other than Social Security. It looks like they have.

[♥ Lily ♥]

I think it's a brilliant idea actually. Keep the cost of organic fruits and vegetables and all healthy foods down, and increase the costs on all the processed and junk foods and drinks that are high in calories, fat, salt, sugar, artificial colourings, etc, as obesity, diabetes, cancer, etc, costs a lot to taxpayers on the National Health Service. I think there should also be bright warning signs placed over junk foods and drinks that are sold, warning the public about their impact on people,and a mandatory ban on their advertising.... especially the advertising of junk foods aimed at impressionable children.

[N1019]

Butter, milk, cheese, meat?

Fuck off. These do not in themselves make people fat when eaten in normal quantities. They are natural products. Bullshit cash grab. If there has to be a tax, it should be on processed high sugar foods, since they are probably far more responsible for obesity than fatty natural foods. But no, that might hurt the global corporations too much, right? It's obvious this is not really about obesity.