Row in Romania over bid to impose major junk food tax

Finally! A country that is intelligent enough to recognise that one of modern time's major problems is junk food! It's time to stop being so politically correct.
Modern society is faced by many evils and I believe obesity is one of the greatest.
Smoking is bad for the health, yes - but equally bad is clogged arteries and all the other problems that junk food has introduced into our lives.

While First Lady Michelle Obama launched a high-profile campaign against obesity in the US this week, small Romania may be a step ahead with its bid to impose one of the first comprehensive taxes on junk food.

The government proposal, still in the works despite hopes it could start next month, has triggered groans from the food industry and skepticism about its efficacy.

But the health ministry is not backing down on a measure aimed at changing habits it says have left an alarming one in two Romanians overweight, while outright obesity doubled in only two years.

Look around you. Look at the children and how fat they are. This is wrong and leads to a lifetime of problems. We as parents are to blame, but we are just as susceptible to the ads and the ease of quick tasty meals that our little ones beg for.

Stop making excuses for fat people. They need to lose weight just as much as smokers need to quit. They actually pose the most problems for our environment (think of the packaging that fast food comes in, the chemicals used etc).

Link

Yes, but how about those of us that are not fat and take care of ourselves? Now we should pay because some gluttons cannot control themselves? This is hypocrisy at it's best! The answer to everything is taxes right? A few are fat so the rest should pay? Good luck defending that position!

Originally posted by SpaDe_
Yes, but how about those of us that are not fat and take care of ourselves? Now we should pay because some gluttons cannot control themselves? This is hypocrisy at it's best! The answer to everything is taxes right? A few are fat so the rest should pay? Good luck defending that position!

if it was a few fat kids, I would tell them to stuff it and leave my doritos alone...but we both know its more than that.

America is now for the most part overweight, adults and kids...and the obesity rate is now about 1/3rd of the country (obese = superoverweight). Its gaining more and more traction year by year.

I dont like the idea of a tax hike on bad foods, but what other options are there? we have tried everything and people just keep getting fatter and fatter. its unhealthy, it puts a burden on our healthcare system unlike anything else.

Us smokers are glad that someone else is being targetted for a change frankly.

reply to post by SpaDe_


Absolutely, I agree - but remember that obesity seems to be a major problem in the poorer communities, and hopefully this will make them think twice before raising their kids on Big Macs and fries.

I am not poor, but I am not well-off by any means, yet I ration my junk food to one meal per week. It actually becomes something to look forward to, does not affect the budget, and my body can handle it.
Why must smokers be the only ones to be penalised by medical aids and insurances companies? It's time to start looking at sugar-laden soft drinks (not just alcohol) and tax these items as well.
Let's ban the the tv ads that make us think all these things will make us happier, prettier, more popular etc.


I know I am being extreme, but I just think that we need a little equality.

I couldn't agree more. Everytime my hometown needs to raise taxes, it's like they can't think of anything else other than the "sin taxes". I've thought for years, can't they be a little more creative and imaginative?
Seriously.
With the "sin tax" you reach a point of diminishing returns anyway, and people just start traveling to other towns to buy cigarettes and beer.
It's shooting oneself in the foot, after a while, and they wind up losing revenue after a point.

I've said for years, tax soft drinks! The ones in public machines, too.
Everybody knows they are awful for us, and there is a much larger market than beer. What's up with that? Soft drink consumers are special? And beer drinkers should be continually punished?

I personally drink very little of either, but what should be done is obvious, I should think.

People won't like it, no, but let's face it. It's not exactly thrilling to have any new tax. Stop targeting a minority, and target everybody!

reply to post by deltaalphanovember


This is also part of my problem with the tax on junk food. Since it is classified as a food all these "poorer" families that are recieving federal and state aid will now just pass the tax back to us taxpayers. This is going to solve nothing. They will simply keep eating junk unless it is removed from the welfare system like they are starting to do with energy drinks and other things that should not be classified as necessary food items. I agree that there is a serious lack of motivation in this country with these fat gluttonous people, but the way to take care of it is not by punishing everyone because of a few.

reply to post by SaturnFX


See my problem with this is that they will be broad sweeping on what is considered junk food. They will continue to add whatever they see fit just to further their tax intake. Unlike tabacco and alchohol taxes that target just the users of these products. It will start with things like doritos, candy bars, and other snack foods. Then it will quickly move to other things they consider to be unhealthy such as anything that is "box" ready like hamburger helper, macaroni and cheese, cereals, and so on. Then they will just move it to all food items so now no matter what you eat you will have a tax on it. I can see this happening in just a few short ammendments due to "lack of results". Just saying this is a bad road to start down.

reply to post by SpaDe_


Don't confuse your country's socio-economic problems with your political problems. Your country has made a system and laws that seems to encourage obesity (albeit unintentionally). Change the laws, and allow the poor to choose cheaper healthier options.

Romanians seems to think this would work. I personally think that it's not about the tax, but about the idea or concept. It is going to encourage serious debate and fast food is going to become under scrutiny.
Don't know if you ever watched the documentary Supersize Me (can't remember exact title) - that was an eye-opener for me.

reply to post by deltaalphanovember


Yeah I saw that documentary, and it amazed me at just how much weight that guy actually gained. Fast food is the bane of a healthy existence. I agree that fast food would quickly come under scrutiny. I just worry how far they would actually take the "unhealthy" food aspect.

Junk food tax is just a cash crab. They will just pay more.

[edit on 14-2-2010 by SuperSlovak]

AH - as a smoker - all I can say is HA HA HA!

Until every single person has been over-taxed for their sins and all pleasure has been eradicated. The laws to coerce smokers into quitting have established all of the precedences needed to go after everyone else.

Why don't we just go for the ultimate solution right off the get go.

1. We build super-size jails that everyone lives in. Everyone gets the same size cell. All woman are only allowed one child to ensure no overcrowding.

2. Meals are cooked for us and apportioned according to needed nutrients and caloric intake.

3. Men and woman live separately to discourage sex and finally eradicate all STDs

4. We are only allowed out of jail in order to report to work.

5. Our paychecks are automatically assigned to the government in order that they may take care of our health.

TIRED OF CONTROL FREAKS

WOW..Mention the word "tax", and everyone stumbles over one-another to denounce it...Whatever the context of said "tax". It sounds like some national obsession. Revenue has to come from somewhere. I'd rather have them tax my monthly burger, with the added side-effect of making junk-food less attractive for this nation of incorrigible fatso's.. than f.i. my solar-panels or my normal food stuffs or whatever else you can think of. ($0,80 on every gallon of petrol..anyone?)

There are nations in Europe that have 19% tax on everything You buy PLUS 60% tax on petrol and diesel.. So quit frackin' complaining.

Reply to DIAKRITE:

So you would rather that they tax your hamburger would you? Well of course you would...because if you can't afford the tax, well you just don't buy the hamburger! Or you buy a lb of ground beef from smugglers and the black market.

At the end of the day - sin taxes don't work because people can avoid the and because criminals and the black market moves in to provide what the government wishes to deny!

The government knows this but they go ahead and set a budget and spend all that extra tax income...income that never arrives...so the government increases property taxes or personal taxes in order to make up the shortfall.

And then the government comes back and explains how something else is an enormous health issue...and proposes more sin taxes...

ARe you getting the picture?

I already pay just about 50 % of my salary in taxes. Please explain why the government needs more money?

TIRED OF CONTROL FREAKS

It won't be just candy and doritos. Too many carbs make you fat and are dangerous for diabetics. There goes your pasta, rice, bread etc. We will be taxed to death one way or another.

We all hate taxes ... but they are a necessary evil and won't go away soon. So accepting that fact, adding extra taxes to alcohol, taxes and Big Macs all helps to maintain expensive armies. This in turn allows us to send young men to fight expensive wars. Winning these wars or ridding people of their despotic rulers makes us feel good about ourselves.

So taxes can't be evil, right?

PETA and the Tree-Huggers will, of course, launch a campaign to lobby the government to raise taxes on meat! Afterall, a vegetarian diet is just what the planet ordered!

How wonderful to have the government take such good care of our health!

TIRED OF CONTROL FREAKS

Well if they want to tax things to cut back on "fat" maybe we should cut the unecessary "fat" out of our governments! The ends do not justify the means any longer. They are spending us all the way to the poor house with these "necessary" taxes. If something doesn't work the government doesn't admit that program failed and end the failed one to start a new one. They just deny the fact that the program failed and demand more taxes to start their next pork project. It's a vicious cycle that starts with government over spending and ends with us all broke and suckling off the system.

I know this is off topic kind of, but the idea of taxes being a necessary evil is only partly correct. The government needs to reign in their over spending and work with what they have instead of spending us into oblivion and justifying it as necessary spending. I am sorry but who really gives a rats a$$ about a bridge to nowhere? Do we really need to spend millions on researching earthworm migration patterns? I mean there is a line and it has clearly been crossed a long time ago.

[edit on 14-2-2010 by SpaDe_]

reply to post by SpaDe_


Yeah it is off-topic but what they heck ... immposing restriction on fast food will always lead to side discussions on rights, free will etc. The problem is complex and requires some lateral thinking.

Of course there are some people who say that being fat is normal should be accepted without question or critiscm. I admit that I am biased against fat people in general as it seems to me an addiction to food is as bad as addiction to drugs or alcohol and they should be treated as addicts of the worse kind because they are over consumers of a scarce resource.

The real discussion here is not taxes or healthy/non-healthy lifestyles.


The real discussion here...the one you are never allowed to participate in...is what is the proper role of government?

Only when the population as addressed this issue, then, taxes can be paid/not-paid as is appropriate.

Is the role of government to advise and educate the population about lifestyle risks? Yes? Then x amount of dollars are required for research followed by education programs

Is the role of government to coerce the population into what is perceived as "healthy" lifestyles? Yes? Then X + Y taxes are required.

Is there no role for government in the personal life choices of citizens? Then X is all the taxes required.

The more you demand of your government, the more taxes will be needed.

TIRED OF CONTROL FREAKS

Originally posted by Night Star
It won't be just candy and doritos. Too many carbs make you fat and are dangerous for diabetics. There goes your pasta, rice, bread etc. We will be taxed to death one way or another.

I personally hope it will never go this far. In fact, everytime I visit a state where there are no taxes on groceries at all, I am stunned. I would like to see a trade off, somehow. Tax Coke, but not orange juice, kind of things. Yes, yes, I could complicate matters really fast, if left in my hands. lol.