Thread: Fat Tax Yes Or No?

Ok how about a druggy tax
a alcoholic tax
a bludger tax
a dickehead tax
a moron tax
and the list goes on.

Although I'm not sure entirely what the answer is, a tax certainly isn't the way to go. All this does is hit the low income earners/Pensioners harder - again. They bear the brunt of all these sorts of things. Well off people don't care if something costs a few cents/dollars more, so will continue to consume the same as always. Those that can't afford it will have thier choices reduced even further. It just helps to make the divide between the haves and have nots even wider.

For those that don't know me - I'm a fatty, but with resonable disposable income, so a fat tax certainly wouldn't work with me. I'm trying to loose weight (and have started to shed a few KG's) but that is through getting my arse out of bed at 5.30 to take the dogs for a walk, and stuffing less in my mouth at meal times, and giving up sugar - totally. Education and support is far more effective - in my case at least. Although many may not think it is rocket science to loose weight, there is a LOT of mis information out there - like 'low fat' products - which are packed with sugar and will make you put on fat more that the fat would have. I have spent a lot of time trying to sort through all the crap to work out what works for me, and I'm getting there - slowly.

I'm sure many fall for all the marketing hype and have no chance of loosing weight without help - that doen't come from a tax...

Hmmm, I would have thought the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and early death would have been enough to scare people off over eating & under exercising... but perhaps not it seems.

Our obesity epidemic has come from growing up with an "eat everything on your plate - there are children starving in Africa" mentality. This comes from a couple of generations of parents who lived through a few world wars and had to struggle to put food on the plate but still did a hell of a lot more manual labour. Later generations have simply carried this idea forward in a time when there was plenty of entertainment available in our air conditioned lounge rooms and air conditioned cars to get us 1/2 a block down the street to Maccas.

The new mentality that needs to be taught is "eat until you're not hungry but not until you're full".

I consider it another form of substance abuse. There is no need to fill a trolley with soft drink and processed food. But maybe in the long run the effects of gross and widespread obesity might thin the herd a bit. I know i need to shift a few kg but I refrain from most of what packs on the kilos, except my Friday beers. To pay for this 5 to 6 sessions in the gym. Tax or no tax make an effort.

Originally Posted by solmanic

Hmmm, I would have thought the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and early death would have been enough to scare people off over eating & under exercising... but perhaps not it seems.

I think it is the same as smokers know what the risks are and continue smoking. I think everyone thinks 'That will never happen to me - that's the sort of thing that happens to others.' I certainly did for a long time. It didn't help that during my yearly health check ups and blood tests that my Doctor says 'You're tests are all fine, apart from carrying a few extra Kg's your healthy'. If my Doc had told me 3 years ago that I was going to die unless I did something, then maybe I would have twigged a bit quicker.

The biggest thing that is making me try to loose the weight now is that my knees and back are starting to play up and that is a direct result from me carrying those Kg's. If i don't do something now, I may not be physically able to do something later. It was that, and the scales hitting 135Kg that was the turning point for me. I'm now just under 130 and heading in the right direction.

Heredity has a big part to play in the ability to lose weight.

That is why you can weigh Tongan choirs by the tonne.

Many races adapted to lack of food for long periods by storing fat in good periods to tide them over and researchers have found that Polynesians fall into this category.

I am 188CM and 113Kg which is technically obese but I am not IMHO, just overweight. I went to Weightwatchers and got down to ideal weight which is 95Kg and I was miserable. But I was 12Lb born and my father was 14Lb, so I was never going to be a ballet dancer, and I am 128CMs around the chest and play quite a bit of sport.

So I don't see how taxes could work.
Regards Philip A

Watch the doco "The Men Who Made Us Fat" tis a eye opener

Originally Posted by Slunnie

I thought he was thinner now with his austerity measures. Lucky he wasn't skinny to start with.

fattest part of him would have to be his head lol