Studies show that obesity is a major problem here in America. The numbers keep increasing and according to CBS news, three out of four children are overweight or obese. CBS news stated that the current trend of obesity in children today could lead to the first generation since the civil war to have a shorter life expectancy. The problem is here, but how can we help?
Many people believe obesity is solely the responsibility of the individual overweight. I can agree with this opinion to an extent but I don’t think it is the time to be pointing fingers. I think we as a nation should start finding ways to help decrease this growing problem. One idea that is being considered is the taxation on junk foods. I feel that this is one of the ways that we Americans can help tackle obesity and it should definitely be implemented.
“Sin taxes on cigarettes have turned out to be the most effective weapon in the campaign to reduce smoking (Karen Kaplan).” So why not try the same approach for junk food? If we were to put a tax on unhealthy items people eat every day, it could potentially deter them from selecting those items and resorting to healthier ones instead. There is no evidence that can prove this will in fact have the same effect it had on cigarettes but it is worth a shot. Not only will this potentially help people choose healthier options but the taxation could help the current medical burden related to obesity which is nearly $150 million per year (CBSNews).
According to Everyday-Wisdom.com, soft drink companies grossed over $57 billion in sales last year. If we were to initiate a 10% tax on soft drinks, that would raise over $5 billion dollars which we could use to help with medical issues related to obesity. If this tax were to be implemented, the money raised should be used for medical problems related to obesity and not for other government spending.
Obesity is here and it is not going to disappear overnight. We need to start thinking outside the box to help resolve this crisis and a “sin tax” is one way to try and dissolve the problem. This tax could only be beneficial and we need to implement it now.
10/04/2010
REFERENCES
CBSNews. “Where America stands on obesity.” <http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6069484n&tag=related;photovideo> 10/4/2010.
Karen Kaplan. “Calls to tax junk food gain ground.” 08/23/2009.
<http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/23/science/sci-junk-food-tax23> 10/4/2010.
Kristina Fiore. “Junk Food Tax Could Improve Health.” abcNews/health. <http://abcnews.go.com/Health/w_DietAndFitness/junk-food-tax-improve-health/story?id=10056236&page=1> 10/4/2010.
“Soft Drink Consumption: The Frightening Statistics and Associated Health Risks!” www.Everyday-Wisdom.com.
<http://www.everyday-wisdom.com/soft-drink-consumption.html> 10/4/2010
