LOL, yep. They should probably just look at taxing unhealthy food items the way alcohol and tobacco are taxed.....earmark those tax revenues for health education and healthcare costs.If they use the BMI, alot of us with athletic builds are in for some taxing. BF% would be the way to go.
LOL, yep. They should probably just look at taxing unhealthy food items the way alcohol and tobacco are taxed.....earmark those tax revenues for health education and healthcare costs.
Yes!!! How cool would that be... it just makes sense. I've never even thought about that. You're a genious, man...LOL, yep. They should probably just look at taxing unhealthy food items the way alcohol and tobacco are taxed.....earmark those tax revenues for health education and healthcare costs.
Yea we have private insurance, but it still has its problems. Everyones health insurance is raised because of those that dont take care of themselves regardless if we are adding new stuff to our insurance. For some reason the companies just dont think its a good idea to tax fat people, smokers and what not who all use their insurance way too much from it.I live in England so I pay taxes that go towards funding the NHS, but I can't remember the last time I used an NHS service. It annoys me that I take care of myself but have to pay for those that don't. I don't know how it works in the US, but I believe you all have private health insurance and (in some respects) I think that'd work better than the NHS.
Off the top of my head, poor diet/exercise habits cost our government £6 billion, whilst smoking related diseases cost us £2 billion. I'd definitely be in favour of a bad food tax; BMI doesn't always relate well to overall health IMO.
It doesn't. Currently 45 million Americans don't have ANY health coverage at all. Many Americans have health coverage but cannot afford to pay for their treatments and medicines. The NHS rations healthcare based upon medical need, in the US healthcare is rationed based upon ability to pay.I don't know how it works in the US, but I believe you all have private health insurance and (in some respects) I think that'd work better than the NHS.
I really hate this aswell, things like NHS funded heroin clinics for addicts (I believe that was what it was anyway) so that they reduce risk of hiv, ect. It's just rediculous.I live in England so I pay taxes that go towards funding the NHS, but I can't remember the last time I used an NHS service. It annoys me that I take care of myself but have to pay for those that don't. I don't know how it works in the US, but I believe you all have private health insurance and (in some respects) I think that'd work better than the NHS.
Off the top of my head, poor diet/exercise habits cost our government £6 billion, whilst smoking related diseases cost us £2 billion. I'd definitely be in favour of a bad food tax; BMI doesn't always relate well to overall health IMO.
We should absolutely not have a fat tax. that is absurd. it is your body and by all means if you want to be a repulsive piece of fat **** then you have that prerogative. we here at anabolicminds should understand more than most that laws should be kept off our bodies.
also there is no way such a thing could be enforced. Many of us here on bulking diets pound down a ton of unhealthy foods, and what about that ectomorph that decides he wants to have his once a week small sized bag of lays potatoe chips, should he be taxed? absolutely not.
The way i would handle this situation is by changing the way we handle the medical emergencies of obese individuals. if a 400 pounds man is driven to the hospital with a heart attack at the same time as a 180lb man that is not declared medically obese....then we need to have laws that force the doctors to care for the 180lb man first and not the repulsive drain on society's resources.
i am sorry but these disgusting people need to either change their lifestyles or deal with some consquences.
steroid users are by no means a drain on society, and fat people certainly are. why should they recieve equal medical care when they are a complete burden on the system, THROUGH THEIR OWN FAULT.I think the medical example you said is worse than a fat tax and more of an unfair law based on body weight than say taxing some junk food. We are not talking about a large tax, 5-10cents on bad food (potato chips, not small things like candy bars, taxx would be proportional to the amount of food/fat in it). In reality I think this is very fair, you have a choice if you want to get taxed or not. It is different comparing weight lifting and healthy lifestyles to unhealthy ones. Steroid users are not a drain on our society like obese people are, I dont believe you could argue that they are.
steroid users are by no means a drain on society, and fat people certainly are. why should they recieve equal medical care when they are a complete burden on the system, THROUGH THEIR OWN FAULT.
i peronally enjoy eating a bag of potatoe chips every once in awhile and i cant see any damn reason why i should be taxed for it. i am also averse to the idea that we should tax everything that seems socially unacceptable. that is known as oppression, furthermore it is a very broad and nonspecific oppression, affecting people that fat tax isnt meant to target.
no, i believe that not bailing out these repulsively overweight people when their disgusting lifestyle finally gives them a heart attack/stroke/etc. would be the best way of turning some lifestyles around. of course this would never happen because it might offend some people, and politicians will jump all over any idea for new taxes. the problem will never be solved, not that i thinkt he government should be getting its slimy hands involved in the first place.
After thinking about it, I don't think a tax on unhealthy foods would work. Would a few cents extra on a chocoloate bar or a packet of crisps stop these people from eating them, day in and day out? No. They would just 'absorb' the extra cost, which wouldn't be too significant to them anywaysteroid users are by no means a drain on society, and fat people certainly are. why should they recieve equal medical care when they are a complete burden on the system, THROUGH THEIR OWN FAULT.
i peronally enjoy eating a bag of potatoe chips every once in awhile and i cant see any damn reason why i should be taxed for it. i am also averse to the idea that we should tax everything that seems socially unacceptable. that is known as oppression, furthermore it is a very broad and nonspecific oppression, affecting people that fat tax isnt meant to target.
no, i believe that not bailing out these repulsively overweight people when their disgusting lifestyle finally gives them a heart attack/stroke/etc. would be the best way of turning some lifestyles around. of course this would never happen because it might offend some people, and politicians will jump all over any idea for new taxes. the problem will never be solved, not that i thinkt he government should be getting its slimy hands involved in the first place.
Well, all such taxing schemes have yield curves. In most states, they've found the tax rate for tobacco that is enough to make smoking prohibitive for those who aren't gainfully employed (teenagers) and you can chart the reduction in teen tobacco use. Highly targeted taxes that are calibrated to achieve social goals are used all the time.After thinking about it, I don't think a tax on unhealthy foods would work. Would a few cents extra on a chocoloate bar or a packet of crisps stop these people from eating them, day in and day out? No. They would just 'absorb' the extra cost, which wouldn't be too significant to them anyway
sounds a bit like socialism to me i thought we had a democracy or democratic republic anywaysWell, all such taxing schemes have yield curves. In most states, they've found the tax rate for tobacco that is enough to make smoking prohibitive for those who aren't gainfully employed (teenagers) and you can chart the reduction in teen tobacco use. Highly targeted taxes that are calibrated to achieve social goals are used all the time.
The key here would be to identify the goals, and then to calibrate the appropriate tax rate. In this case, I would suggest the goal should be to equalize the costs of healthy versus unhealthy food.....so that consumers wouldn't choose the unhealthy food for economic reasons (they would be free to choose it for other reasons but they wouldn't default to the crappy packaged food because they can get more meals out of it).
Political and economic systems are not the same thing.sounds a bit like socialism to me i thought we had a democracy or democratic republic anyways
socialists use economics to push thier agendas,taxes are one of the major ways that they accomplish this.Political and economic systems are not the same thing.
You can have capitalist dictatorships and socialist democracies.
In point of fact, the most successful nations during the 20th and 21st centuries (measuring success by life expectancy, access to education, housing, medical care, and freedom to engage in the political life of the country) usually describe themselves as socialist democracies.
In this case, we're talking about how to use the taxing power of the state to influence behavior rather than simply imposing it (ex. banning tobacco).
All political persuasions use taxes to push their agendas. It's one of the tools of state power. It's usually one of the milder forms of state power when you view it in the context of the other tools states use (violence, censorship, imprisonment).socialists use economics to push thier agendas,taxes are one of the major ways that they accomplish this.
you are right and I agree they do all use taxes I'm just not a fan of big govt. and socialists (or democrats as we call them here in America) love huge govt. and use taxes as a means of socially redistributing wealth which to me is completely un-American.I hate so called consumption or sin taxes most of all and I don't smoke and I rarely drink or eat junk food. These taxes are just failed attempts at modifying unhealthy behavior and they don't work, cigarettes are 4-5 dollars a pack now and I don't know anyone who quit because of how much they cost and the overweight will not stop eating doritos and twinkies because the cost goes up a little either. I know people will respond to this by saying well at least then these taxes can be used to offset the cost of treatment which could be true but isn't because our govt. is so completely devoid of fiscal responsibilty that the money would be spent on everything but.As an example of this I give you the great state of Ohio,when Ohio started having state sanctioned gambling all the proceeds were to go to education and billions of dollars have been generated in this way in Ohio, yet nearly every school system here is broke and constantly asking tax payers for more because they don't see the money from the gambling.All political persuasions use taxes to push their agendas. It's one of the tools of state power. It's usually one of the milder forms of state power when you view it in the context of the other tools states use (violence, censorship, imprisonment).
Consumption taxes (such as being discussed here) are milder still because citizens are free to avoid them by not consuming the taxed product.
You don't have to agree that they are good policy (reasonable people can differ) but they do work. In fact, you can chart it out quite neatly wherever tobacco taxes have been levied:These taxes are just failed attempts at modifying unhealthy behavior and they don't work, cigarettes are 4-5 dollars a pack now and I don't know anyone who quit because of how much they cost and the overweight will not stop eating doritos and twinkies because the cost goes up a little either.
That's scary...what a bunch of idiots. Why don't they just use bodyfat level?would take the square root of the Body Mass Index, so you get a nice curving graph so you can apply it in a proportional way.
I would then divide it by 100 and multiply it by your tax liability.
Would that work? I know a few rugby players who are around 20% bf but can do the 100m in about 15secs and can get a score in the 'teens on the bleep test i.e they keep themselves fit. There are lots of PL'ers with a high bf but aren't necessarily 'unhealthy'.That's scary...what a bunch of idiots. Why don't they just use bodyfat level?
To answer this question, you have to clarify what you're measuring.I have been told that NHS such as Canada's work ok, but the downfall is that the doctors don't stay in the country that is set up that way, they want to move to a place where they can charge a higher price. Greed drives us all in some form or another if its not money, its sex, or food. I have also heard that the doctors will give sub-par care aswell, I don't know if there is any truth to this but I would hope not.