Lap Bands and Fatty Food Tax
The reactions to the proposed ten percent tax on cosmetic plastic surgery has taken many different forms.
(Read our take on a misguided attempt at a plastic surgery tax.)
Now, the American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons (ASBPS) headquartered in Newport Beach, California, is calling for a tax on fatty foods! (We are NOT making this up!)
If you stop and think about it, if American consumers will put up with extra taxes on alcoholic beverages and cigarettes, why not on fatty foods, too?
Here’s the logic: the lion’s share of cigarette tax goes to health programs to relieve ailments caused by smoke and smokers. (It’s been scientifically proven that tobacco kills about one-third of its users.)
In California, the cigarette tax is 12 cents. But another 75 cents is tacked onto each pack to fund special heath programs.
The increased taxes and education has decreased smoking 61 percent during the last 40 years.
Ditto alcohol: besides causing health woes to heavy drinkers, it causes social problems like drunken driver deaths and auto crashes, broken families, lost wages and so on.
Now, consider the idea of taxing fatty foods.
Because we have so many Lap Bands in place, we are learning how excess weight causes:
- Type II diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Sleep apnea
Lap Band doctors say nobody can regulate what people actually eat.
But it’s clear that highly saturated fat content of foods leads to weight gain and obesity.
By taxing high-fat foods, starting with fast food restaurants, consumers could be encouraged – like the World Health Organization suggests – to eat a variety of low-fat, high fiber foods.
The money generated by a fat tax could then be put into researching causes and cures for obesity, says the ASBPS.
Fast food would still be fast – but pricey. I mean would you buy a $9.00 Cheeseburger? Or a $8.00 taco?
Probably not, but then if you did, you would know a good portion of the costly eats was going to a good cause.
And why are skin removal surgeons calling for a fatty food tax?
ASBPS says obesity rates are climbing so fast, doctors fear obesity surgery seekers will overwhelm available surgeons!
admin @ August 26, 2009