Soda Tax and Fat Folks

[The Scotsman]

NY seeks 'fat tax' on sodas to fight rising US obesity

New York leaders are pressing for a so-called 'fat tax' on the soft drinks industry, saying that sweet beverages are responsible for an upsurge of obesity across the United States.

Their point being.....

Health experts blame insufficient exercise, but also the habit, particularly among the poor, of washing down fast food with extra-sugary soda.

The crisis has fed ballooning public costs - $7.6 billion (£5 billion) in annual obesity-related medical bills in New York state alone - much of which are covered by taxpayers.

Is it fair on tax payers to pay for these health costs? Should healthcare, when paid for out of public funds, be denied for health related illnesses directly caused by obesity?

After all...........

For the meals we eat at home, and the meals we eat out, it’s still our decision what we eat, where we eat, and how much we eat. That concept is part of what I’m talking about with Americans of all ages..

Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S.
Surgeon General
Wednesday, July 16, 2003

Which is a fair point but is there a wider point being missed in that some people suffer from.........

Low health literacy contributes to our nation’s epidemic of overweight and obesity. For example, some mothers are unaware that they can promote their baby’s health through breastfeeding. Experience with my own patients and students indicates that many Americans don’t understand the impact of caloric intake versus expenditure.

Every morning people wake up and, while they’re sitting at the kitchen table, they read the newspaper and the cereal box. Throughout the day they read the nutritional information on their meals and on their snacks. But do they really understand the information they’re reading?

Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S.
Surgeon General
Wednesday, July 16, 2003

Is it perhaps time for such a tax to be implemented, bearing mind the implications on Obama's Healthcare bill, in order to bring whole issue of obesity and health literacy into the public debate..........?

 

[dahermit]

Is it fair on tax payers to pay for these health costs? Should healthcare, when paid for out of public funds, be denied for health related illnesses directly caused by obesity?

After all...........

A couple of points I would like to make. Firstly, sugared soft drinks and their liberal consumption pre-dates the American obesity epidemic. Secondly, whether or not it is fair is a moot point for a Scottish citizen inasmuch as you will never be called upon to pay for American health care.