Junk food tax is one of the strategies advocated in an editorial in the
Medical Journal of Australia last year:
Zimmet & James 2006 The unstoppable Australian obesity and diabetes
juggernaut. What should politicians do? MJA 2006; 185 (4): 187-188
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/185_04_210806/zim10521_fm.html
My gut feeling is that it could have major negative consequences, and indeed
an economist has suggested:
high-caloric "junk food" might conceivably though improbably turn out to be
the first real-world example of a "Giffen good," a good the demand for which
rises when the price rises because the income effect dominates the
substitution effect. A heavy tax on high-caloric food might so reduce the
disposable income of the poor that they substituted such food for healthful
food, since fatty foods tend to be very cheap and satisfying, and often
nutritious as well. However, this is unlikely because food constitutes only
a small percentage (no more than 20 percent) of even a poor family's budget.
http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2006/10/the_fat_taxposn.html
Increasing the price of tobacco and alcohol does reduce consumption - but
no-one has to smoke or drink, whereas everyone (including children) has to
eat.
There is definitely a need to make healthy food choices easier choices, but
the strategies need to be appropriate - and appropriately developed in the
real world.
Melissa
Melissa Raven, Adjunct Lecturer
Department of Public Health, Flinders University
GPO Box 2100 ADELAIDE SA 5001
AUSTRALIA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael MacDonald" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 10:02 AM
Subject: Re: [SDOH] Updated Canada's Food Guide
Hi Greta,
As you know - it's not really a new idea -- I did a quick "google" and found
these two interesting statements on the issue:
http://www.speakout.com/activism/issue_briefs/1332b-1.html (7 years ago!)
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060221/junk_good_tax_060221?s_name=&no_ads=
(just last year)
I'm really interested in hearing from the forum regarding the merit of this
idea... as I'm relatively uninformed.
Cheers,
Michael
On 05/02/07, GRETA DOUCET <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Bravo Michael Greta
> *Michael MacDonald <[log in to unmask]>* wrote:
> This brings a topic to mind that I've debated with folks on a personal
> level, but have not yet seen anything "academic" (not to say it doesn't
> exist):
> *Should there be a tax on "fast food" and "fatty snack foods" to subsidize
> healthier foods? For example - the extra taxes from a Happy Meal at McD
> could be used to help reduce the costs of vegetables and fruits? This
> could
> support farmers and help people afford the healthier choices?? *
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