Childhood Obesity (9) - Tax on junk food

As we all know, smoking is hazardous to our health. People who smoke will very likely develop health problems that will put a burden on our medical resources. And that is why the government levies a heavy tax on tobacco products.

Food that is high in calories but low in nutrients is labeled as junk food, which, in fact, is hazardous to health. One can use a similar argument that junk food will very likely induce its consumers to become obese, which in turn will induce developing other health related problems such as diabetes, heart diseases, and breathing problems, among others. This will put a heavy load on our medical system. We should put a tax on junk food, just as we tax tobacco products. However, before we can put the teeth to the Legislature, the academics need to conduct more research because currently food addition research is inconclusive (IDDBA, 2004). Several states in the U.S. have introduced bills to add a tax of between 0.25% and 6% to snack foods, but most such bills have had a hard time receiving legislature passing (Tatge, 2004).

Reference
IDDBA (2004). “Obesity: A Growing Problem with Growing Solutions.” International Dairy Deli Bakery Association. http://www.iddba.org/
Tatge, M. (2004). “Get ready for the Twinkie Tax.” Forbes, February 16, 2004.