Fat Tax

First, cigarettes were taxed and we saw a huge jump in the number of people who were smoking. That was the most effective way in getting people to quit or reduce the amount they smoked, and some think this idea should be applied to some of your favorite junk foods. Will the same strategy work for a different product?


Calls to tax junk food gain ground
A surcharge on cigarettes has helped curb smoking, but will the same tactic work to fight obesity?
By Karen Kaplan
August 23, 2009

"Sin taxes" on cigarettes have turned out to be the most effective weapon in the campaign to reduce smoking.

Why not try it on Flamin' Hot Cheetos, vanilla Coke and Twinkies?

With increasing vigor, public health experts and think tanks are calling for extra taxes on foods and drinks that are heavy in calories and light on nutrition. New York Gov. David Paterson proposed an 18% soda tax last year as a budget-balancing measure, only to abandon it three months later in the face of stiff public opposition. Lawmakers in at least five other states have gone on the record in support of the idea.

Junk-food taxes are often mentioned as a way to help fund a restructuring of the healthcare system, though no one in Congress has endorsed them. More...