Should there be an obesity tax?

onedmc

It should be mandatory to sell single-sized portions.

Single-sized coke in the Macdonalds 160Ml not 380ml+

Single sized ice-Cream in Mood or Scoope 150Mg not 300mg+

The portion sizes are too large, you should still be able to choose but mandating the sale of and advertising of the single size will let kids and adults know they are oversizing.

Hermy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119706740#Comment_119706740

Do you live in that world?

I wish I did. I used to but I don't anymore.

I have seasonal affective disorder and I've been dealing with depression since Christmas.

I have a good bike and good hiking boots that don't see the light of day because I don't have the energy to do that kind of exercise anymore.

I can try to be more active but if I do it will make me feel physically sick and I'll have to take to the bed for a day.

I probably know more than your average punter about nutrition and healthy eating but that's not much good to me either.

Overeating is a symptom of seasonal affective disorder plus the anti-depressants I've been prescribed are an appetite enhancer.

And aside from that sometimes I don't have the energy to cook or even to tidy the kitchen enough to make space to prepare a meal.

On those days it's off to the Chinese or the chipper and not just because it's handier.

Eating that bad food gives me a little lift and for a short while afterwards I don't feel so depressed.

So that's my world. I'm not here by choice and I'm not looking for sympathy - I just don't think I should be taxed for it.

bad2thebone

Funny how people think think it's a good idea to tax other people's problems. Adding to their stress and picking their pockets.

It's a very conservative mindset to just tax everything.

Printing money off people's misfortune won't solve everything

Psychedelic Hedgehog

It's also the mindset of 'these people are costing ME money'. Start with obesity, and then as others have mentioned there'll be a push to tax others with medical conditions that cost money to maintain. It's an extremely selfish and abhorrent attitude.

gmisk

Completely ridiculous suggestion.

More taxes for everything is a solution for very little.

Who would OP tax more next? The elderly? Terminally ill?

I am considered healthy weight etc, I collapsed at home out of the blue a few months ago (serious stomach issues) should I now be forced to pay more tax?

All you can do is encourage and maybe incentivise healthy eating, activity etc where possible, then it is up to the individual.

Marty Bird

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119707186#Comment_119707186

Those examples are the exception not the rule, most people that are obese or heavily overweight is down to over indulging too often and zero physical activity. Follow the Japanese route fine company if they employees are too fat.

And I’d be weary about getting advice from a health professional most of them are overweight or obese, I know a respiratory consultant that would make giant haystacks look like a ripped athlete.

If you tax the unhealthy foods you not targeting people that have gained weight due to medical issues, you are targeting foods that are generating the issue in the first place. These foods should be consumed more as a treat and once offs but due to their low prices for a lot of people they are part of their regular diet. I don't see any harm in taxing these products more if the proceeds are used to help people with weight issues or to subsidize healthier foods. I would have an issue with a tax being applied if its just another means for the government to raise revenue. If taxes are increased instead of bringing back 2000 cigarettes from Spain it will be a suitcase of crisps and sweets.

Sunny Disposition

Vanity must have almost disappeared as a thing. Any young person is likely to be considered attractive these days if they are of a reasonable weight, there's a huge amount 20 and 30 somethings now that are very fat.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119706894#Comment_119706894

I dunno - say you've got two people waiting for a particular life saving treatment/ operation and a choice must be made. One is overweight and a smoker and the other is in reasonable shape and a non smoker. As a society, who do you choose to treat? It's a no brainer to treat the individual that is most likely to recover well and continue for many years.

That's how to tackle things like excessive obesity, smoking and drinking. Go ahead and abuse your health but be prepared to be put to the back of the queue for health care in due course. If we had a fully functioning healthcare system based on needs & results, that is how it should operate.

Montage of Feck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119704460#Comment_119704460

Dermot Bannon would be screwed.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119707516#Comment_119707516

Those health professionals and their bad advice...

"...food intake accounts for 100 percent of the energy that goes into your body, exercise only burns off less than 10 to 30 percent of it..."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vox.com/platform/amp/2018/1/3/16845438/exercise-weight-loss-myth-burn-calories

bad2thebone

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119707516#Comment_119707516

Lol I know a dentist who has teeth like burnt fence's :)

TomTomTim

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119707505#Comment_119707505

Funny how smokers never get mentioned comparatively, when it's a far more analogous comparison than the sick or elderly, who didn't choose their state. Typical boards though, where people are constantly relying on false equivalences.

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119707996#Comment_119707996

Maybe because some people can be overweight due to factors outside of their control....

People who smoke are choosing to, they pay massive amounts to buy the product in fairness. I am pretty sure they also pay higher rates for health insurance etc.

I really get tired of hearing people are fat because of "factors outside of their control". To me that's just excuses. Everything apart from illnesses like MS, MND, Cancer and other serious diseases IS within our control. So much of how we live IS within our own control, nobody elses. Its too easy to blame something or someone else and never simply look at ourselves. It doesn't mean its easy. Telling your body it isn't going to have chocolate or cake today isn't nice and it isn't easy. I don't like it either. But that is what is needed to lose weight. No pain, no gain.

I have suffered from depression for most of my life, made worse by the death of a child and breakup of marriage 2 years later. I also suffer badly from SAD. I took anti depressants but they made me worse. I felt numb and unmotivated. If I wanted to survive I HAD to pull myself back up again. I had to keep going for my other 2kids. Exercise and being in nature have helped more than any drug or overeating!

I also knew nobody else was to blame for how I felt and nobody else was going to make everything better. I owed it to myself, my kids and my future health to stay healthy as much as I could. That means not putting on weight. It means discipline - not all of the time - but most of it. Everything in moderation. Its far easier to maintain a healthy weight than to have to lose 5 stone.

And I don't believe taxing obese people is a good idea or is fair. However they will cause a lot more expense to our healthcare system in the years ahead, especially as they get older.

downtheroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119707467#Comment_119707467

How about taxing the crap food and offsetting the cost against good food (which is already cheap but people won't admit it). Convenience food that is full of sugars and salts are fine in moderation, so if they're taxed and cost more but fresh food is available for cheaper then that seems like a positive move.

Some very ignorant opinions here. I imagine there are people who are happy out being unhealthily overweight, much the same as there are those who are happy being extremely underweight. Let them be. If they want to continue as they are then what business is it of anyone's?

I can say with certainty however that there are those who are filled with self loathing regarding how they look. Disordered eating is very real and requires compassion and a steady hand of support. The relationship we have with food begins, as all relationships do, far back in our childhoods. What messages did we receive about food? Was it to be feared? Were there no boundaries around how much to eat? Or too many?

We internalise those messages. A child who sees mam always dieting and encouraging them to be slim is likely going to have some difficulty with food and body in later years. Oftentimes our self worth will be tied to how we look.

Take Instagram for example. There are so many people obsessed with being thin and muscular, it's as if they get their sense of identity from that. It's sad to witness. Young women engaging in rigid eating practices and exercise routines.

Obesity can also be a manifestation of non existent self worth. The shame a child abuse victim may carry as an adult that can only be soothed by food. Then the loathing and criticism kicks in following a binge and the cycle repeats.

Basically the relationship we have with food and our bodies is complex and linked to the relationship we have with ourselves. I don't know if any of you have sat with a person who is in the throes of an eating disorder and saw their pain and desperation but I doubt it.

Or maybe wondered why anorexia gets sympathy but obesity doesn't? Both are often indicative of deep psychological issues. Perhaps an attempt at gaining a deeper understanding of other people's experiences might be useful.

downtheroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119707432#Comment_119707432

Sorry to hear that. Maybe an e-bike would help, they're amazing. And as someone we'll versed in nutrition hopefully you can make healthy and tasty meals. I wouldn't be advocating for never having a takeaway or junk food, but if its in isolation then hopefully a tax wouldn't be too punitive. And as mentioned in another post if it could be ringfenced and offset against good quality food it would be win win, you get the benefit elsewhere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119708541#Comment_119708541

So in other words, "I overcame adversity in my life therefore everyone else should be able to aswell".

bad2thebone

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119708621#Comment_119708621

They're already doing that, I think it's absolutely nuts. All someone will do is spend more money on rubbish. It's like an addiction.

Have you ever been addicted to something ?

You're absolutely powerless over your fix, you'd rather sit in hell with your fix rather than be in a heavenly place without it.

Like I said taxing them or shaming them is the conservative minded way out, which is absolutely bollocks, . The solution from the liberal mind hive is don't shame them and tell them they're beautiful, more boloxilogy.

They have to want it themselves, nobody's going to change their minds for them. They need to come to an inner resolve and work at it.

Shame them or pick their pockets and they'll consume more to fill the void, therefore more stress and less success.

Like addict's and alcoholics, only a small percentage of people realize they're slowly killing themselves.

They are powerless and the sooner society realize that,the easier it will be to put it out that there's a solution.

You have a good point about lessening the price of better food, maybe if they have a medical condition and a swipe card that only allows them to get good food cheaper then other things could be possible.

I think you're onto something there.

There needs to be incentives in order to help them. A subtle reward is better than a strike or punishment.

Marty Bird

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119707897#Comment_119707897

You need to be in calorific deficit to loose weight, if you consume 2000 of the very best and healthiest calories a day and don’t burn off a portion of those calories you won’t loose weight, it’s a very simple process eat less and move more you won’t go wrong that which will be good for the vast vast majority of overweight and obese people, others may need a tailored plan.

Mr. teddywinkles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119708639#Comment_119708639

Yea and there contrary cnuts then when ya meet them cause their half starved.

I'd say this is an issue that's always going to cause a divide. Its probably just how you view life and your health. If you're happy that's all that matters no matter what your weight is. But if it makes you unhappy then (in my opinion) you should do something about it. If it causes you bad health you should do something about it, if it stops you having a baby you should do something about it (unless you don't want a baby). I am not saying its easy, its not.

But to make the excuse of not having time when a healthy meal can be cheaper and made in 10 mins doesn't wash with me. I guess I learned young, we were reared tough in a big family, but we cooked and ate healthily and even though I have dealt with a lot of adversity I made an effort to stay healthy as I had kids that relied on me. I battled serious depression and had no support rearing my kids after losing one, but keeping us healthy physically was important. Being physically active helped with my depression too. It was a case of not seeing an option, not having anyone to pick up the pieces if I got sick. I was completely alone. Maybe things were different then, there were less options and less supports.

I'm thinking back to some very difficult times in my life and how food played a part in regulating my emotions. Days and days spent unwashed with only food for company and the idea of exercise or cooking being akin to climbing Mount Everest.

To this day I have a fragile relationship with my body and what I eat. Years and years of self criticism and an awareness of my physical self from as young as I can remember, the want to be thin, has left a mark. I treat myself far better than I used to though so I'm happy about that.

Wanderer78

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

obesity is psychological based, its effectively an eat disorder, so if we re going down this road, we might as well tax people that struggle with other types of eating disorders such as anorexia!

Greyfox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119708894#Comment_119708894

The thing is every overweight person knows they need to eat less and move more, actually doing it though is not as easy. Yes it can be done but your up against food companies that are very clever when is comes to persuading people to choose the unhealthy option.

Mikefitzs

If obese people eat more, eat more sugar products and drink more then they already pay more tax, as VAT is a percentage of what's bought. If you eat and drink less then you're paying less tax. Simples. As for trying to tax people because they may have medical, genetic and mental health conditions you should be ashamed of yourselves.

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119708541#Comment_119708541

I really get tired of hearing people are fat because of "factors outside of their control". To me that's just excuses.

Having been through everything you’ve been through, surely it isn’t a difficult choice for you to make between offering people support, and subjecting them to pithy ‘common sense’ advice because in your opinion they’re just making excuses? I’m not speaking about myself btw, I mean, sure, I’m clinically morbidly obese, but I’m not bothered by it, as far as I’m concerned I have more on my mind than the multitude of issues which I’m well aware are caused by, or related to eating disorders.

My weight just isn’t something which bothers me. But, I know people who do struggle to control their weight and their efforts to gain control over their weight can often lead to even more disordered thoughts which influence their weight, caused by factors which are outside their control, often factors which, like you, they’re completely unaware of -

Ireland has one of the highest levels of obesity in Europe, with 60% of adults and over one in five children and young people living with overweight and obesity. There are multiple drivers that influence obesity including genetics, environmental and socioeconomic factors.

Obesity is associated with other chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, several types of cancer, pain and musculoskeletal disorders. Certain groups in the population have a high risk of excess weight gain leading to obesity, these include older people, women in pregnancy and post-natal, individuals with eating disorders, mental illness, intellectual and physical disabilities as well as socially excluded and disadvantaged groups.

https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/cspd/ncps/obesity/

I get where you’re coming from that it annoys you when people talk about their weight, I don’t want to talk about their weight either, but I’m not so wrapped up in myself that I can’t bring myself to care about someone who doesn’t even know that what they’re asking for is your support. It’s pretty self-centred to think what they’re actually asking for is your ‘common sense’ advice, when it equally doesn’t cost anything to offer support or encouragement.

Surely if you can’t do that much, then it’s a fair question to wonder - what’s your excuse for not being able to do that much, given everything you’ve been through yourself and having had no support?

babyducklings1

I’m surprised no one has mentioned it or at least I don’t think they have , there are different rates of VAT on foods A and B rate ( on my receipt from shopping) so we are already being taxed through the foods we purchase. I have a recent receipt here from Lidl, a few small purchases; the fruit and veg had A vat applied ( which is a rate of zero percent so no vat on these) the sweet treats I bought had B rate vat ( rate is 13.5 percent ) It’s not a fat tax per say which I wouldn’t agree with anyway but a good way of encouraging healthy eating as if you stick with the good stuff the basket is cheaper. I do notice when I go shopping that when I buy the good basics without any treats like biscuits, cakes sweets etc the shopping always costs less.

Relax brah

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119710404#Comment_119710404

completely agree, it’s an excuse to say eatting healthy is more expensive.