A Tax to Benefit the Public

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For years, the United States government has been trying to find a way to lower the obesity in the country. However, the approach it is using, i.e. taxing unhealthy food, is not the most effective one. People are going to purchase whatever products they wish, whether the price is increased a few cents or not. Junk food options are already set at a more reasonable price than healthy foods, enticing people to buy these less expensive goods. Even though putting a tax on other products, such as tobacco, has served the intended purpose, food is a necessity humans must have for survival. Society is used to consuming foods they want, and will continue to do so. Putting a tax on unhealthy food will not necessarily lower the obesity rate because there are other factors that contribute to this problem. Moreover, taxing measures are usually intended for the collective benefit of society rather than the individual. They are usually perceived as another way the government uses to take money out of the citizens’ pockets. Ultimately, thinking that higher taxes on unhealthy foods will help curb down the obesity rate in the country would be similar to say that cost is the sole contributing factor to this public health problem. Imposing taxes will not help lower the consumption level because these foods will still have lower prices than healthier choices. Taxes do not impact the nutritional value of foods, and their only predictable effect is to help in generating additional revenue for the government.
A reason why increasing taxes on unhealthy food alone will not lower the obesity rate in the United States is the affordability and availability of junk food. Although the government keeps pushing for more healthy alternatives while taxing “fat” o...

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... food choices whether or not the “fat taxes” are imposed. In the end, due to the increasing affordability of unhealthy foods, the calorie intake and nutritional facts in each food, and the revenue created for the government, “fat taxes” will not help lower the obesity rate in the United States.

Works Cited

Brownwell, Kelly D and Thomas R. Frieden, “Ounces of Prevention- The Public Policy Case for Taxes on Sugared Beverages.” The New England Journal of Medicine 30 Apr. 2009: 1805-808.
Mankiw, N. Gregory. “Can a Soda Tax Save Us from Ourselves?” New York Times. New York Times, 5 June 2010. Web. 11 July 2011.
“McDonald’s USA Nutrition Facts for Popular Menu Items.” McDonald’s, n.d. Web 22 Nov. 2013. .
Pear, Robert. “Soft Drink Industry Fights Proposed Food Stamp Ban.” New York Times. New York Times, 29 Apr. 2011. Web. 11 July 2011.

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