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The new tax on fatty foods went into effect this week in Denmark. Some Danish commenters feel it's too "big brother" and some feel it's okay but they should then get a reduction on tax for healthy foods. Some Danes commented that it won't work because the Danish will eat what they want, and even more of it, because they resent being told not to do something. Yet others believe it's just another way for the Danish government to collect more taxes.
The reported goal of the Danish government is to increase life expectancy and cut costs associated with health problems resulting from poor diet.
Good idea or too intrusive? Denmark has what the US refers to as socialized health care, so should the government have authority to financially incent people to eat healthier?
Reference:
Denmark has introduced what’s believed to be the world’s first fat food tax, applying a surcharge to foods with more than 2.3 percent saturated fats, in an effort to combat obesity and heart disease.
The new tax of 16 kroner ($2.90) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of saturated fat in a product will be levied on foods like butter, milk, cheese, pizza, oils and meat.
The Nordic country isn’t known for having a grossly overweight population — only about 10 percent of Danes are considered obese, compared to about one-third of adults (33.8 percent) and approximately 17 percent (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents age 2—19 years in the United States, according to a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
In 2004, Denmark made it illegal for any food to have more than 2 percent trans fats. In July 2010, the country increased taxes on ice cream, chocolate and sweets by 25 percent. At the same time, Denmark increased taxes on soft drinks, tobacco and alcohol products, beyond the minimum levels established by the EU.
Snipped from: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2011/...rated-fat/
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I think it's a fantastic idea!
I pay an obscene amount of money for health insurance & I know it's because I'm paying for those that don't take care of themselves. I'm all for penalizing those that smoke, eat & drink to excess. Hell yeah, I am.
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Lets not forget these people, sometimes it's not about over eating or smoking.
Sometimes it's just about what you do for a living, these fucks need to pay a higher tax rate also.
source is the wall street journal, list of dangerous jobs with the highest risk of death or debilitating injury.
well I guess were fucked, just about anyone who works could fit in one catagory or another.
1.Fishers and related fishing workers: 116
2.Logging workers: 91.9
3.Aircraft pilots and flight engineers: 70.6
4.Farmers and ranchers: 41.4
5.Mining machine operators: 38.7
6.Roofers: 32.4
7.Refuse and recyclable materials collectors: 29.8
8.Driver/sales workers and truck drivers: 21.8
9.Industrial machinery installation, repair and maintenance workers: 20.3
10.Police and sheriff's officers: 18.0
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
John Adams
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If anyone thinks that any money saved on any kind of tax will go back to the people that are getting taxed, they are sadly mistaken.
He ain't heavy, he's my brother.
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(10-04-2011, 11:06 AM)Maggot Wrote: If anyone thinks that any money saved on any kind of tax will go back to the people that are getting taxed, they are sadly mistaken.
Most people don't have the sense god gave a turnip.
just try to get an accounting on the bond issue taxes for your area.
it's laughable, no one keeps track of how much has been collected, the tax just goes on forever.
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
John Adams
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I will fight any new tax or tax rate hike to the best of my ability. There is no reason for either.
He ain't heavy, he's my brother.
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(10-04-2011, 11:00 AM)IMaDick Wrote: Lets not forget these people, sometimes it's not about over eating or smoking.
Sometimes it's just about what you do for a living, these fucks need to pay a higher tax rate also.
source is the wall street journal, list of dangerous jobs with the highest risk of death or debilitating injury.
well I guess were fucked, just about anyone who works could fit in one catagory or another.
1.Fishers and related fishing workers: 116
2.Logging workers: 91.9
3.Aircraft pilots and flight engineers: 70.6
4.Farmers and ranchers: 41.4
5.Mining machine operators: 38.7
6.Roofers: 32.4
7.Refuse and recyclable materials collectors: 29.8
8.Driver/sales workers and truck drivers: 21.8
9.Industrial machinery installation, repair and maintenance workers: 20.3
10.Police and sheriff's officers: 18.0
So it's not enough that the employers already have to pay an outrageous amount in workers comp and liability insurance?
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(10-04-2011, 11:00 AM)IMaDick Wrote: Lets not forget these people, sometimes it's not about over eating or smoking.
Dick, the subject was FAT TAX, that's what we are discussing not what fuckin' job someone has, go start a thread about jobs, we are talking about FAT TAX.
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People can make up any reason to raise taxes. No matter what reason they make up it's always going to be bullshit, which group of people will be next is the point of my post it really has nothing to do with the list I posted but the mind set behind the tax.
Quote: I'm all for penalizing those that smoke, eat & drink to excess. Hell yeah, I am.
Well I guess I'm all for penalizing those who ride horses, and those who go to tanning salons, both are proven to be extremely dangerous.
Not all fat people, and not all smokers and not all drinkers are without insurance in this country, in the one mentioned in the OP, that country has socialized medicine, they have a collective form of government.
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Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
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Alright, Dick, whatever you want.
Make yourself at home, have fun, be happy, do whatever it is that dicks do. I can't talk to you.
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It's cool like I like beans and rice.
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Why not just tax processed foods? Why are they taxing milk, cheese and meat when toddlers and elderly people need extra vitamin D, iron, calcium and fat? Sure they can get it from other sources, but it's not practical to think everyone is going to become a nutritionist and feed their babies avacodos, walnuts, prunes and soy milk. This is why it's a bad idea to let the goverment decide what we shouldn't be eating.
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Apparently I'm under the mistaken impression that it was crap like soda & candy bars, things of that nature. I wouldn't be alright with it if it includes milk, cheese, etc.
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The national food shall be soylent green and soylent green it shall be. You cannot legislate bad habits. Just like you cannot legislate morals.
He ain't heavy, he's my brother.
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(10-04-2011, 12:44 PM)sally Wrote: Why not just tax processed foods? Why are they taxing milk, cheese and meat when toddlers and elderly people need extra vitamin D, iron, calcium and fat? Sure they can get it from other sources, but it's not practical to think everyone is going to become a nutritionist and feed their babies avacodos, walnuts, prunes and soy milk. This is why it's a bad idea to let the goverment decide what we shouldn't be eating.
I would find taxing processed foods at a higher rate more palatable than the current plan. The Danish government already has high tax on foods with a lot of trans fat, chocolate, tobacco and alcohol. Meat, milk and cheese do have some nutritional value for many, as you pointed out.
Plus, as a struggling small business owner, I automatically think about the impact on the dairy farmers, restaurant owners and others who will have to raise their prices to cover these taxes. It could mean a drop in business for them. I'm betting they were lobbying hard against this new tax (but couldn't find any specific info to support that bet).
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Tax the shit out of those fatties! I am 100% for it! Obesity, and all the medical problems it carries, is CONTROLLABLE! If some stupid mouth greedy fuckwit can't control themselves, I should not have to pay for it. Let them do it.
There should also be a Stupid Tax. Maybe people would wise up.
or make ohio a parking lot.
Whichever.
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(10-04-2011, 01:37 PM)Fibonacci Prima Wrote: Tax the shit out of those fatties! I am 100% for it! Obesity, and all the medical problems it carries, is CONTROLLABLE! If some stupid mouth greedy fuckwit can't control themselves, I should not have to pay for it. Let them do it.
There should also be a Stupid Tax. Maybe people would wise up.
or make ohio a parking lot.
Whichever.
Obamacare says you will pay for it and like it.
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
John Adams
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(10-04-2011, 11:56 AM)IMaDick Wrote: Well I guess I'm all for penalizing those who ride horses, and those who go to tanning salons, both are proven to be extremely dangerous.
I missed this. The only people that think that's dangerous are those watching me do it. I'm at home on the back of a horse & tanning hasn't made me old yet. I have no defense of this other than to say I pay a great deal for insurance, if something bad happens to me I'll be the one paying, I won't be getting a handout.
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(10-04-2011, 02:23 PM)Duchess Wrote: (10-04-2011, 11:56 AM)IMaDick Wrote: Well I guess I'm all for penalizing those who ride horses, and those who go to tanning salons, both are proven to be extremely dangerous.
I missed this. The only people that think that's dangerous are those watching me do it. I'm at home on the back of a horse & tanning hasn't made me old yet. I have no defense of this other than to say I pay a great deal for insurance, if something bad happens to me I'll be the one paying, I won't be getting a handout.
Which was exactly my point, smokers pay insurance also as do obese people, but in the end the cost of high risk activity is added into everyones premiums.
no man is an island.
I was really surprised by the list I posted, I work in the industrial machines area, I spend sometimes many hours hanging anywhere from 30 to 90 feet in the air, I use really big cranes to lift machines that weigh many tons, and I weld, I cut with torches, I expose my body daily to extreme conditions and dangerous activity, and yet farmers and ranchers are a higher risk than me. That's crazy.
I don't know if you noticed but I really hate subdividing people into catagories, especially if those subdivisions attempt to regulate personal choice and liberty to live as a person desires.
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
John Adams
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Any tax is a bad idea! 
He ain't heavy, he's my brother.
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