How Do We Feel About A Special Tax On "Junk Food"?

rkunsaw said:
The problem is that the government doesn't know what's good or what's bad. They depend on lobbyist with an agenda and money to tell them. They have been so wrong so many times and have probably ruined the health of millions by promoting the unhealthy "food" that they had been convinced were good.
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Can't argue too much with that... but we have to work with what we got and/or work to fix the problems. What's the alternative with soaring medical costs that seem to be out of control?
 

dpwspringer said:
Can't argue too much with that... but we have to work with what we got and/or work to fix the problems. What's the alternative with soaring medical costs that seem to be out of control?
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I think one thing that we, as a nation, need to do is to become more realistic about death and dying/end of life care. I've read that 30% of the annual Medicare budget is spent on people in the last year of life. IMO we should focus on Palliative and Hospice care for people approaching the end of their life and not allow the healthcare system to get under the hood and sell, sell, sell, like a bunch of disreputable mechanics.
 

Totally opposed. Just more of the old "We know what's best for you' from the Social Control freaks and Nannyites. Of course the crooked politicians love it...more taxes equals more revenue equals more pork barrel funds to waste.
 
I just wish they would tax me personally, or charge me double, pretty much anything to keep the junk food out of my shopping cart since I do not seem to be able to do it myself. :D

Seriously though I grow weary of Government intervention into what we do with our bodies. The onus should be on each individual (or the responsible adult) to control what a person eats.
 
Don M. said:
A tax on junk food Might work...the First thing I would tax would be Diet Soda. That crap is probably the worst thing a person can drink.

Rather than taxing the food and drinks...I think health insurance premiums should be tied to a person's weight....the more Obese they are, the higher their insurance costs. Smoking has been known to cause health problems for years, and smokers pay a premium on their insurance....why not the same for the Fatso's? After all, the data at the CDC clearly shows that at least 30% of our nation's health problems, AND costs, are Obesity related. If poor diet, and lack of exercise started hitting people in their wallets, perhaps they might begin to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
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For the poor, carbohydrates/sugar often form the main portion of their diets because they are cheaper than healthy food. Obviously, these foods contribute to obesity. Seems unfair to penalise people for being unable to afford healthy food. Another culprit in inducing obesity is pharmaceutical meds, ie, many drugs used to treat depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, diabetes, etc. One of the most prevalent side effects is weight gain.
 
What I put in my belly is no ones business but my own. The so-called organic foods group is probably behind this wacko notion. Organic foods are almost always much more expensive than "regular" foods. If the government is allowed to get away with this, then pretty soon there will be a heavy tax on red meat. Then other meats will follow. Soon after that we will be forced to eat "vegan". God save us from the those who want to control every aspect of our lives.
 
I'm for this if it works. I know a couple of folks that maybe smoke less because of the high price of cigarettes, and that's a good thing. I also know folks that will "almost" do, or pay any amount to get these kinds of things. Soda I think is a biggie, and now (however they are making it) it is so, much cheaper (brands etc.) Also cigarettes I guess. I smoked a bit in my 20s and remember buying the most popular brands, and now they have tons of cheaper brands and even the make-it-yourself types, roll your own is what I mean. I saw a guy just 2 days ago going through a "cigarette" disposal box at Walmart. OMG, the butts he had in his hand made me sick to my heart:(

But like I said, if it helping some folks not to eat as many bad foods, or smoke too much, I am for it. It's such a wicked circle. The companies that make all these things are trying to make a living, but their products can be dangerous for people who can't curb their own destructive behaviour. I'm back on coffee after quitting for about 3 weeks when I had that tooth flare up. But I love coffee in the a.m.'s. I will pay as much as I can to still have the coffee too I'm betting.
 
Traveler said:
What I put in my belly is no ones business but my own. The so-called organic foods group is probably behind this wacko notion. Organic foods are almost always much more expensive than "regular" foods. If the government is allowed to get away with this, then pretty soon there will be a heavy tax on red meat. Then other meats will follow. Soon after that we will be forced to eat "vegan". God save us from the those who want to control every aspect of our lives.
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Ok, so this gave me a whole other take on it, and I do believe "as well" that if we give them an inche, they'll take a foot. It's already pretty weird in this world, and I don't see things getting better on the whole.
 
I'd be broke and dead if junk food was that bad for you. It's all about abuse. And junk food is frequently the only available and/or affordable food. People don't have to eat as much as they think but NOT starving or fasting by eating junk food got me and others through the day. Those who buy alot of junk food will already pay a tax since many places will exempt many foods and items from taxation. Sugary foods tend not to be on that list.

There are too many issues around obesity, many mentioned. My thing with junk food is the preservatives. If the solid food is packaged to last what will those preservatives do once in the body and one's fat cells which wind up storing alot of this crap. Will that fat cell lose or burn as much or as fast as other body tissue without these preservatives. I've switched from packaged goods to real donuts, pastries, cookies etc and I've actually lost weight on more than one occasion.
 
Traveler said:
What I put in my belly is no ones business but my own. The so-called organic foods group is probably behind this wacko notion. Organic foods are almost always much more expensive than "regular" foods. If the government is allowed to get away with this, then pretty soon there will be a heavy tax on red meat. Then other meats will follow. Soon after that we will be forced to eat "vegan". God save us from the those who want to control every aspect of our lives.
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The ones behind this are the same ones responsible for all the wacko ideas that are swiftly made into laws. What I call Nannyites. These are the wannabe Nanny-Nursemaids of the world that want to tell everyone else what to do, and how to do it, because they know what is best for us, and one day we will thank them for it. If you keep an eye out, you will see their work everywhere. A few years ago in NorCal we had a plastic bag ban. Now the supermarkets only issue paper bags. One can still buy plastic bags if you know where though, but the days of free plastic bags are gone, thanks to the Nannyites who had to protect us from all the plastic bags in landfills...nevermind most stores had previously switched to biodegradable bags. End result of this? Say bye-bye to the forests. Most recently the Nannyites had the soft-drink tax passed. Guess the CRV tax was just not enough to suit them. Whats next on the Nannyite agenda? How about a tax on the obese...you go to the doctor for a checkup, your height and weight are compared, and for every 5 pounds you are over your 'ideal' weight you are taxed 25 cents? Call it a fat tax. How about a car tax to help pay for road and highway repair? How about a kid tax...for every child you produce you pay 5% of your annual income to subsidize schools and what not? The vegans can get a tax passed on meat. The poor can get a luxury tax passed on caviar and truffles. I suspect any corrupt politicians reading this have started to drool worse than Homer Simpson!
 
Philadelphia placed a tax on soda. My brother says that folks merely drive out of town and stock up. Tax affects no one but the merchants selling soda.

NYS decided they were going to tax the sin out of cigarettes. Pack of smokes costs more the ten dollars. Instant black market. It is estimated that up to 50% of the cigarettes smoked in NY are untaxed and it is estimated that the state LOST 1.63 billion in taxes in 2015 alone.

I was a smoker when this law was passed, and I became a criminal over nite. I smoked nothing but Rez smokes from then till the day I quit. Ipaid $3.20 a pack at the reservation.

I truly believe that in the case of NY taxing smokes had nothing to do with health or even tax revenue. It was merely a ploy to hand the states tobacco business to the Natives as an appeasement and to buy relief from the land claims.
 
Robusta said:
I truly believe that in the case of NY taxing smokes had nothing to do with health or even tax revenue. It was merely a ploy to hand the states tobacco business to the Natives as an appeasement and to buy relief from the land claims.
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Ridiculous cigarette taxes in NY has been an issue for decades. I remember when I was in the USAF in N. Carolina, for a year, in 1966....some of the guys bought large quantities of cigarettes in NC, then drove them up to NY on weekends, and made a bunch of money selling them to NY "street vendors". Now, a pack of smokes in NY can sell for over $13...I'm sure there is a thriving Black Market in that state.
 

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