The British Medical Association is proposing a 17.5 percent VAT (value added tax) on high-fat foods like cookies and processed meats to solve obesity-related problems, which cost the health care system roughly $825 million a year. http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/diet.fitness/06/10/offbeat.fat.tax.reut/index.html Sounds silly, but we tax tobacco and alcohol, which, like fat, cause health problems.
Let the Limeys tax their fish and chips all they want but leave my Oreos, Snickers and Bluebell Ice Cream alone. They'll take my Oreos when they pry my cold dead teeth away from the creamy middle filling.
How much you want to bet that after this tax is levied to "pay obesity-related health costs", they end up just tossing it into the general fund? Of course, at least this would be a voluntary tax, as opposed to confiscating people's income or their homes.
First the smokers, then the overweight, then the elderly and finally anyone whose 'quality of life quotient' is deemed to be a financial burden on the state...you can insert practically any group you like that category....in fifty years this place is going to look a whole lot different, you can bet the ranch on that one.
Lets not stop at the fast food places. Lets sue the local high end restaurants too. Just the other night I was in TJ Ribs here in Baton Rouge. I had intended on ordering a salad with lo-cal dressing but the waitress whipped out her .44 magnum and stuck it to my head and told me "Your having the Baby Back Ribs with a baked potato with extra butter, sour cream and cheese or I'll blow your brains out" Needless to say I had the Baby Back Ribs and baked potato and I was so afraid of the waitress that I forced myself to enjoy it. Any lawyers reading this want to take the case?
