Unhealthy food tax

[Frank97]

Do you think unhealthy food should be taxed? I personally think it should be and the revenue generated should be used to subsidise healthy food, so that burgers become expensive but fruit and veg become next to nothing.
Surely that would help to encourage people to eat more healthily and if some of the junk food establishments go under so be it.

[ChuckFickens]

So you'd like burgers taxed and fruit and veg zero rated...

kinda exactly like they currently are then?

[Frank97]

Increased tax on junk food in general then and fruit and veg even cheaper than it is now.

[Old_Geezer]

No food, unless contaminated, is unhealthy. An unbalanced diet may be though.

Tax often appears to be all government authorities can think of. Yes they need to fill the coffers but it should be done fairly, not in an effort to manipulate folk, or squeeze more from a cash cow. Encouragement should be in the form of ensuring facilities are available and advice not manipulation.

This latest suggestion is from another of those committees isn't it. Seems to me they had no answers, knew they had to come up with something, so fell back on the old "let's tax people" suggestion once again to try to save face.

It's an unacceptable suggestion. I hope they weren't paid to come up with it.

[Wrongn3mber]

"Burgers are not unhealthy." That depends on their content and how often they're eaten, the cheaper burgers with a high fat content and questionable meat sources would be unhealthier than a burger made of lean steak mince.

[mickrog]

live and let live...i eat what i choose and think others should keep noses out

[Wrongn3mber]

Mickrog, by your advice then you must not see a problem with this?

http://www.dailymail....er-2-supersizing.html

If people should be left to destroy themselves with dangerous foods and should "keep their noses out" would this also include ambulances, doctors and surgeons which have to transport, diagnose and operate on those like the woman in my link?

[ummmm]

I think that's more of a mental health issue.

[mickrog]

ridiculous bigots do gooders

[mickrog]

trust that rag

[Wrongn3mber]

ummm this woman makes money from this so she can't be too mentally ill as she knows what she's doing. Putting it under the umbrella of mental health is an insult to those with real mental health issues. Mickrog?

[LoftyLottie]

I think people should take responsibility for those actions. We can't blame the government for what we eat. It seems that the government is responsible for everthing these days. You don't have to buy unhealthy food. If you do then it is your fault.

So no, I don't think unhealthy food should be taxed.

[Sqad]

Mickrog........I agree with W3....this is a serious epidemic.

Now, 12 million are clinically obese and in 20 years it will have doubled (half the population)

The spins offs from obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and increased susceptibility to accidents will cause the NHS billions of pounds all paid for by the taxpayer..........US.

Something needs to be done although I will have to give taxing unhealthy foods, further thought.

[LoftyLottie]

I meant 'take responsibility for their own actions'.

[dave50]

If people want to kill themselves by eating rubbish all the time then let them. What is it with this obsession with wanting everyone to live a long time? In fact if people die early because of an unhealthy lifestyle then they will be doing the rest of us a favour financially by not reaching old age.

[Frank97]

Well some interesting opinions, perhaps taxation isn't the way forward then.

[Sqad]

Steve...."Food Police?".....bit over the top eh?

Dave.....if they would die early, the fine.....but they don't, thanks to exceedingly expensive medical and surgical advances.

[Wrongn3mber]

Sqad this site is a small insight to the rest of our society in the uk, I have seen countless threads in the food and drink section where the posts are filled with users urging others for recipes for buttery, oily, creamy and fatty snacks/meals and nonstop talk about drinking and "Enjoying a fag and cuppa" and what's worse is many urge others to join them! Many then blindly wonder why their kids/grandkids and society are the way they are? lol.