FSA considers ‘fat tax’ for unhealthy foods
The Food Standards Agency in the UK is considering plans to suggest taxing fatty foods. Little is know about the plans at the minute, but the UK is facing a time of relative economic uncertainty and at present, food is not subject to VAT at the rate of 17.5%. If fatty foods were subjected to VAT, that could boost income for the government.
Obviously the government would benefit directly from the added VAT, dubbed the ‘fat tax’ – however some research has suggested that 3,000 lives per year could be saved by encouraging people to eat healthy through financially pressurising them to eat healthy. That would inevitably place less strain on the NHS and would indirectly help the government save money.
The country definitely faces measures of austerity, however opposing arguments suggest the tax would effect poorer families negatively because their eating habits wouldn’t change, they’d just have less disposable income each week.
The big question is – how exactly would it work? If the plans did go ahead, defining a fatty food may prove difficult. Nuts and seeds are typically high in fat yet are considered to be good for you by most. The tax would have to be placed on the right types of foods, for example the average cheese contains 25% saturated fat yet contains plenty of goodness and there are plenty of ‘healthy’ people who wouldn’t live without cheese.
The Food Standards Agency in the UK is considering plans to suggest taxing fatty foods. Little is know about the plans at the minute, but the UK is facing a time of relative economic uncertainty and at present, food is not subject to VAT at the rate of 17.5%. If fatty foods were subjected to VAT, that could boost income for the government.
Obviously the government would benefit directly from the added VAT, dubbed the ‘fat tax’ – however some research has suggested that 3,000 lives per year could be saved by encouraging people to eat healthy through financially pressurising them to eat healthy. That would inevitably place less strain on the NHS and would indirectly help the government save money.
The country definitely faces measures of austerity, however opposing arguments suggest the tax would effect poorer families negatively because their eating habits wouldn’t change, they’d just have less disposable income each week.
The big question is – how exactly would it work? If the plans did go ahead, defining a fatty food may prove difficult. Nuts and seeds are typically high in fat yet are considered to be good for you by most. The tax would have to be placed on the right types of foods, for example the average cheese contains 25% saturated fat yet contains plenty of goodness and there are plenty of ‘healthy’ people who wouldn’t live without cheese.
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