Tax Unhealthy Foods - A Fat Tax?

So the latest effort by those wishing to see a "Nanny State", is to introduce a tax on "unhealthy foods" because the population is becoming more and more obese. Now how is that going to work?

Is there such a thing as an unhealthy food? Let's take a look at one of our favourites. Fish and chips. Now what is unhealthy there? Are the potatoes unhealthy, or is the fish? What about the peas? No.

What about sugar? Huge calorific content, but does that make it bad for you? No.

What about a burger? Is that unhealthy for you? No.

What is unhealthy is when all or any of the above, and virtually anything else that is consumed is eaten in excess. It is not the food that is unhealthy, it is the fact that some people consume far too much of it.

Are we really going to raise a tax on the local fish and chip shop because it is unhealthy? I love fish and chips but I don't eat them very regularly in exactly the same way that I don't eat a lot of take-away food. Are we really going to go into a bakers and find that bread is taxed at one level but a Chelsea Bun is taxed at a higher level because it is seen as less healthy?

What about the good old English breakfast. Is fried bacon going to be taxed at one level but grilled bacon another? Fried eggs more than poached?

Gee up Neddy. This really is a silly proposal. Food does not make us fat, but the decisions we make to eat more of those foods that can do that rather than those that don't is the problem. Ally that with not taking enough exercise and Bingo, we have a full-house. It is the decision of the individual how fat they are in 99.9% of all cases. The individual makes the decision about what to eat. Unfortunately, those same individuals are making the same decisions regarding their childrens eating also and that is a huge problem. Personal responsibility. There are huge amounts of information out there that tell us what is a healthy diet and what isn't and also tell us of the need to exercise to remain healthy. If people do not wish to take notice of that and act accordingly that is completely down to them. Taxing the food they eat is not the answer.

This idea has been dreamed up by so-called "Academics". Well if that is the limit of their ideas then I would suggest they are not overly "Academic" are they?

Leave this idea well alone!!!!