A tax on unhealthy foods has recently been proposed by a think tank associated with the Government. Although the Government has apparently rejected the idea, it is not without support amongst certain economists and public health advocates. An article by Tom Marshall was published in the British Medical Journal which advocated a tax on the main sources of fat in the British diet – namely butter, whole milk, cheese, biscuits and cakes. He contended that such a measure could prevent around 1000 premature deaths a year in the UK from heart related diseases.
Unhealthy diets are the cause of an estimated 30% of coronary heart disease deaths (British Heart Foundation estimate.) Data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey and the National Food Survey show that the consumption of fat and saturated fat is significantly higher than Government recommendations.
Although there does not appear to be much in the way of an international precedent for the fat tax, some States in the USA do impose a tax on soft drinks and confectionery, the proceeds of which are then ploughed back into state funded healthcare schemes to help those on low incomes.
Many people have opposed the idea for a fat tax saying that it would be unworkable and would be highly regressive in nature, i.e. the burden would fall disproportionately on the less well off. What do you think? Please feel free to post your comments!