Uh-oh, here comes a “fat tax”
Those of us, my wife and I included, who are chocoholics and devotees of cooking shows featuring premier chefs such as Marcel Desaulniers (“Death by Chocolate”) should heed an article on The Motley Fool.com by Rick Munarriz.
He stated that while Big Mac is a burger at McDonald's, “if you go by the latest supersized campaign against the company it might also be the name of its typical customer. Even as the company makes inroads with healthier salads and leaner cuts of chicken, it can't seem to shake its past – and it's not alone.”
It seems that a British newspaper reported Britain is getting ready to tack an "anti-obesity" levy on companies like McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Cadbury Schweppes, and proceeds would be used to build sports centers to encourage more active lifestyles.”
Taxing harmful industries isn't new. Ask a cigarette maker how much it actually receives on the sale of a carton of cigarettes. Prices at the pump are high, but a lot goes for taxes. “We should be used to sin taxes by now - and gluttony is a sin in certain circles,” Munarriz maintains.
“Where do you draw the line? Who can escape the blame?”
He notes Britain's Dept. for Culture, Media, and Sports reports only 38% of U.K. children participate in at least two hours of athletic activity weekly.
Still, what does a can of soda or a burger have to do with all this? “At least until McDonald's begins delivering, it can't be faulted for a growing number of couch potatoes,” he argues. “TV networks, video game makers, and Internet content providers would seem just as guilty - if not more so - than fast-food chains for promoting sedentary lifestyles. Those industries would suffer if the world's youth would take to the great outdoors.”
What’s next? Munarriz wonders if the future portends a tax on certain CDs to erect opera houses, or a tax on baseball day games to fund research on melanoma.
Also, he asks: “Is a fat tax fair? Will this hurt companies like Mickey D's, or will it be a platform for positive press? Should the company be at fault even if it offers healthier alternatives?”