Should there be an obesity tax?

Relax brah

Overweight people consume more and are more unhealthy requiring greater medical resources - we seen this during covid with death rates correlating to overweight individuals.

An obesity tax should be considered or their health premium should at least be 3/4x higher

Discuss

893bet

An increased tax on unhealthy foods should be considered but only if there is a way that “healthy” fresh food can be made cheaper.

Relax brah

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119702361#Comment_119702361

Valid point and definitely a more sustainable course of action without fat shaming.

gormdubhgorm

Fat chance!

xxxxxxl

we have a sugar tax and a booze tax already.

dmc17

No, I can't afford another tax on top of the increase in food prices

Montage of Feck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119702361#Comment_119702361

Just did a quick check on the Tesco website and found the following: Spuds €0.80/Kg, oats €2.00/kg, milk €1.09/l, pasta €1.09/kg, onions €0.36/kg and a tin of tomatoes €0.35. Real food is literally cheaper than chips.

dotsman

Why leave it at obese people (who only may get sick)? Why not just cut to the chase and tax sick people directly? And old people? And disabled people?

And don't forget poor people! They consume a load of resources without contributing.

NIMAN

From looking around at the general population, it would easily bring in more than corporation tax!

Maybe we should keep it in reserve for when all the big US multi nationals up and leave?

standardg60

I've long had a problem with community rating in regards to health insurance.

In all other facets of life, insurance is based on potential risk, i don't see health insurance as anything other than a state sanctioned ponzi scheme, encourage people at the bottom to sponsor those at the top.

AllForIt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119702439#Comment_119702439

Yes it's a total myth that to be healthy you have to spend more. In fact you can spend less in combination with the fact you will eat less because unhealthy food leads one to eat too much.

Relax brah

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119702458#Comment_119702458

The chances of becoming sick are much higher if you are obese. Similar to cigarette smokers - look at the price of a box of smokes now?

Being overweight is not a medical condition people choose to abuse their bodies in that manner

Relax brah

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119702464#Comment_119702464

Well it’s getting worse because junk food is cheap and easily available - its a vicious cycle

elperello

Read my lips, no new taxes.

global23214124

I don't think that makes sense to do that. I'd say plenty of people are over eating to deal with other issues they have so it would be weird to tax. Put tax on the cheap high calorie stuff like potato chips.

Lock people in their homes for nearly 2 years, close gyms, don't allow people past their 5km zone and people wonder why so many have put on weight. Not to mention the mental damage..

Chiparus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058266043/should-there-be-an-obesity-tax

Underweight people are more unhealthy requiring greater medical resources, ..................... a underweight tax needs to be considered.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_paradox

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058266043/should-there-be-an-obesity-tax

The amount of tax anyone pays isn’t based on their physical characteristics. It would be an administrative nightmare in any case which would cost more to administer than it would generate in revenue -

Respondents were asked their weight and height from which a Body Mass Index (BMI) was then calculated. Based on this, respondents reported that over half of them (56%) were overweight or obese (with over a quarter, 26%, registering as obese alone).

Males (61%) are more likely to be overweight or obese than females (49%), and older people are generally more likely to be overweight than younger people. The age group 65-74 years report that two-thirds (66%) of them are overweight or obese, over twice the levels for persons aged 15-24 years (31%). 

While all classes of affluence / disadvantage indicate that around 55% of those groups report as being overweight or obese, the Very disadvantaged group report the highest levels of being overweight or obese at 58% of that group.

https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-syi/statisticalyearbookofireland2021part1/soc/health/

Insurance premiums are a different story entirely, entirely at the behest of insurance providers.

Relax brah

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119702535#Comment_119702535

A lot of people turn to drugs for the same. They get arrested or fined - why should it be any different?

beachhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058266043/should-there-be-an-obesity-tax

Isn't there a sugar content tax here on soft drinks? Already a tax on alcohol-doesnt it make you fat? Maybe tax on smoking should be higher as when you stop smoking you eat more.The obesity tax would be a start,it could be expanded to ugly people,short etc etc etc

global23214124

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119702580#Comment_119702580

I think the arrests for drug use in the serious cases aren't going to help in most cases either. They'll just be and out if you are addicted. That should be treated as a mental health issue as well as severe obesity.

gary550

Alcohol abuse and subsequent economic cost far outweighs (ha ah pun there) the overall cost of obesity. Same with smoking.

We tax smokers, really quite significantly. Currently there is estimated to be over 700k smokers in Ireland who smoke daily. That number is reducing all the time but still will be many many years before that number is reduced to any significantly meaningful level. It would probably require all of the current generation of puffers to die.

The difference between smoking and eating is only one is essential!

If you look at how our diet has changed in the last 50 years it's drastic. Everyone talks about sugar but nobody talks about how we are consuming an abhorrent amount of vegetable and seed oils now. You go to a supermarket and buy and chicken and it's loaded with omega 6 which has been linked to weight gain, you buy vegetables that are probably loaded with endocrine disruptors associated with the process of commercial cultivation and all the chemicals that come with it. You buy butter and it's over 50% seed and vegetable oils - what's the need for it other than companies trying to flog **** food.

Why don't we tax the people & companies who produce **** food?

Why stop at the fatties? By your logic let's tax the cripples, the mentally handicap and people with low IQ - all will require additional resource's at some point let's beat the curve!!

Kurooi

Obese people consume more, so they should pay more - well that happens already. The more you consume the more you pay if it takes someone double the food to satisfy then they must buy double the food.

Health insurance- if private then again this already happens. They ask weight, height, calc bmi. It hits premiums.

If public health, I'd have two points , 1. have you ever used it? I did only once in my life and had to wait half a year for a stupid scan. Don't bother and don't charge people extra for this level of 'service' 2. There would be better predictors than weight. Mostly age. I bet there is a much stronger correlation of usage of public health service and age than same with weight. Now, I wouldn't go after them. Would you?

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058266043/should-there-be-an-obesity-tax

Sure, along ones for all the other preventable causes of illness - drinking, speeding, sports and so on. How about stacking against the old as well as they must account for a big slice of the expense. Once you open that gate there is no end to the opportunities for cost cutting including your own favorite activities.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058266043/should-there-be-an-obesity-tax

And how does the state go about proving that a person is obese or otherwise so they can be taxed ? Obesity is a medical condition that can only be diagnosed by a doctor.

5.12 million is our population approximately… 5.12 GP visits, just to check for obesity, all the paperwork, admin, doesn’t sound like it wyou be good value.

downtheroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119702670#Comment_119702670

People don't choose to get old. They do choose to be obese.

DarkJager21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058266043/should-there-be-an-obesity-tax

How about a "mind your own **** business tax" where everytime some harmless **** decides to voice an opinion on someone else's life, they get fined 10k.

Unless you are walking in to the hospital and paying the bills out of your own pocket for them, shut the **** up. Millions upon millions pissed up a wall daily here and you worried about taxpayers using a taxpayer funded system...

Pissy Missy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119702513#Comment_119702513

Being skinny doesn't necessarily mean one is making healthy life style choices either

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119702458#Comment_119702458

A leap. Lifestyle versus something someone can't help.

And there's no "may" about it. I don't know if what the OP proposes is the answer, but dishonest comparison.

Atlantic Dawn

I believe planes should have pre-departure cages to see if you fit in to a seat, if you don't you should pay double with the balance going to those having to sit next to you.

EOQRTL

The world is over populated as is OP so no leave them to it.