Taxing Fast Food.

[Jackal]

Well, here's another one to think about. Should we put taxes on fast/fatty foods? Obesity is a serious issue in today's world and fast food is largely to be blamed.

There are various factors leading to this issue, but still, it all boils down to the human's lazy nature. In this day & age we have entire families working, everyone is working to earn a buck here & there to get by. This working constantly leaves little time for other things. When we do have a little time left, we prefer to spend it in a more "creative" way. We play sports, watch television/movies, we play video games or we browse the internet. Cooking is seen more as a chore opposed to "recreation".

Due to this, we are quickly inclined to drive down to the nearest McDonalds, Burger King or Wendy's. The food is cheap, which is quite important for the consumers, it's cheap, filling & simple. Naturally the nutritional aspects of the food are minimal to non-exsistant but what do we care? It's easy and it's cheap.

Do you think that if we were to tax these foods/joints that people would be inclined to pick the cheaper alternative by actually going to the supermarket, getting some meat, some veggies and actually cooking it, opposed to opting for fast food?

Personally speaking, I find fast food quite repulsive. It all tastes the same to me, the only "fast food" I can stomach is Subway, they make the sandwich with care right in front of me & I get to choose everything that goes on it. A cheeseburger from McDonalds or Burger King just makes me feel like throwing up. Ooh, the spicy chicken from KFC really has this effect on me. One piece at the max, after that I feel like regurgitating everything that went down.

When I was growing up, fast food was a luxury, not a way of life. On occassion we used to have fast food, we'd get all excited about it & shit and there would be a whole debate about where we would get food from, now days it seems as soon as you're out of the house, you stop at the Mickey D's for a cheeseburger (or two in some people's case). It isn't that "special" anymore.

The World Health Organization estimates that globally there are one million overweight adults, I doubt these overweight adults can set an example for their kids.

So you tell me, is taxing fast food a good solution to minimize being overweight or have I lost my marbles completely?

[j.23]

nah, I don't think so. i do think price plays a factor as to why people choose fast food, however, i don't think the majority of people will start blazing to the supermarket if a meal jumps up 2 or three dollars. fast food is there for a reason especially in a capitalistic society. quite simply not everyone has the time or energy to prepare their own food anymore, that's why they're more inclined to hit up the local mcdonalds, wendy's despite their knowledge of what that stuff does to their bodies. this is coming from me, but personally, if you were to give me the option of hitting up a fast food joint and paying an extra couple dollars (not that i'm an avid fan of fast food) opposed to spending less money and shopping at the supermarket, i would go with the first option because it's less time consuming.

[Bang]

Tax fast food. I hate them anyways...but I doubt it would solve the US's obesity problems. McDonald's is too powerful to allow something like that to pass.

[J@3]

I don't think it'd make a difference, because people would still buy it at the same volume as it is. Look at McDonalds for instance, I went in there the other day and a Big Mac is over $5 now... I remember like 6 years ago complaining that $3.50 was alot to pay, they're gradually raising the prices and people just aren't noticing. Their new "healthy" stuff (which apparentely has more fat content than the burgers) costs an absolute fortune, they had a salad for like $11 who's going to eat that shit when you can get a foot long sub for half the price. McDonalds are operating on nothing but their fame now, they'll get trampled within the next 15 years I think.

[Cable]

I think it's going to take something drastic, like a bunch of people dying, to change people's mindsets. Fast food is a staple of life right now, there's not much we can do to change it.

[Colin]

There was something in some movie/TV show I saw, I think it was Supersize Me. But I'm not sure. Someone was cussing out another person for smoking about how damagin it is to their health, and the person who witnessed all this was wondering how long it will be before it is considered 'acceptable' to do this to a fattie.

edit: post # 5555

[Tuomas]

Well there always are pepole like me, "normal" size or skinny that like to eat fast food sometimes, so I wouldn't want an extra tax etc.

[Andrew]

It's an interesting idea but I don't think it will work. You can raise the prices but people will still pay them. Comparing it to petrol prices for a moment, years ago people here in Australia scoffed at the idea that they'd be paying upwards of $1.40 per litre to fill up their cars, yet here we are today quite often paying for a tank at that rate. If people need it or perhaps more importantly if people want it, they'll pay the price no matter how unreasonable it seems.

I think passing legislation forcing fast food to be healthier or offer truly healthy alternatives would be more effective but I'm not sure how feasible that might be. Obesity and other health problems (and probably a large number of resulting deaths) would have to be linked to fast food chains for that to happen and even then it would be difficult since nobody forces you to buy and consume fast food and everyone is personally responsible for what they consume and what they feed their family. If the tobacco companies can't be taken down then the fast food franchises won't be shut down due to the health problems they no doubt contribute to worldwide.

[Laxation]

Taxing fast food?

[The X]

rather than taxing fast foods, I'd like to see initiatives put in place to subsidise healthy food....the amount of times I've felt like healthy food but don't want to pay an extra few bucks for the pleasure is insane....

[Matt]

When I was growing up, fast food was a luxury, not a way of life. On occassion we used to have fast food, we'd get all excited about it & shit and there would be a whole debate about where we would get food from, now days it seems as soon as you're out of the house, you stop at the Mickey D's for a cheeseburger (or two in some people's case). It isn't that "special" anymore.

i totally relate to that....today i had Burger King and i feel seedy. But yeah whenever we get lazy to cook we get pizza or some shit...this is usually when everyone in the family is slaving the entire day on a weekend doing shit around the house.

The last thing we need however is another tax on something. It's people's choice really if they choose to eat the shit. They introduced the "healthy" menu at MD's and also added nutritional info on the burger wrappers (which the average dumbass doesn't know how to read anyway) and that's fine with me.

I don't eat fast food that often, mostly when i go out drinking i get something, even so i don't want the hassle of higher prices.

[Pera]

The reason so many people eat fast food on a dailly bases is that many are to lazy or don't have time to cook.Its all about the pace today work and other things there just isn't the time to fix up a decent meal.And so they visit fast food resturants,but the result of that is fat.So many people are fat these days,because of fast food.I read somewhere that you need to run a mile and a half to get one hamburger and all of that fat out of your body.Taxing fast food isn't a great idea.If people want to eat fast food then they should do so.The best we can do is to tell people what are the risks of fast food eating.

[Jackal]

The reason so many people eat fast food on a dailly bases is that many are to lazy or don't have time to cook.Its all about the pace today work and other things there just isn't the time to fix up a decent meal.And so they visit fast food resturants,but the result of that is fat.

Did you come up with that all by yourself?

[Nick]

I would have no problem with raising taxes on fast foods as long as they take some fucking tax off the petrol prices.

Jeez, imagine how much good that would do for society. Barn-Z 4 Prez!

[Pera]

The reason so many people eat fast food on a dailly bases is that many are to lazy or don't have time to cook.Its all about the pace today work and other things there just isn't the time to fix up a decent meal.And so they visit fast food resturants,but the result of that is fat.

Did you come up with that all by yourself?

Yes I did.Why do you ask?

[Nick]

Oh my god.

Bless your heart boi.

[Pera]

Bless your heart boi.

I'm not sure that I have one .

[magius]

the consequences of fa(s)t food......

I don't think you should tax fast food, i think you should tax fat people. 7% fat tax on everything they buy.

[Cable]

That was funny. I'd love that; watch ShAun have to live in the streets.

[Matt]

they could limit the number of fast food joints in a certain "zone".....theres 2 McDonalds near my place, both within walking distance. And of course next to these MD's there's 3 or 4 other fats food places.

In the city centre there's about 4 MD's each w/in 150m of the next.