Way ahead of you John I covered that in my post also:

 

Ah, but my point still stands: Taxing unhealthy food heavily, the way we do with other unhealthy products (cigs, liquor) would lead to a healthier overall America. It could also help fund healthcare AND assist in the Preventative care that is so important in a healthier overall society to lessen healthcare's costs.

The problem? The federal government is very bad at using tax dollars for the purpose of the tax. The money would start out helping fund healthcare then it would go to fund other projects and healthcare would end up underfunded again.

 

This is very true...

But even though I never eat that shit, I still find it wrong to tax it.

 

I dunno, what I find much more obnoxious than taxing fatty foods is the really obese people with handicap placards and motorized scooters simply because they actually got too fat to walk. That is much more distressing to me. They are far more the reason that healthcare costs as much as it does than smoking.

 

That's a good point...I wish there was another way to actually change the mindset of the people without forcing the change down their throat...too bad that is near to impossible. But you also have to think of our population, for many, McDonalds is filling an cheap, and to keep the prices low, McDonalds would end up taking the hit so it wouldn't be too bad for the consumer, more so for the company. This however, could cause the shutdown of many companies depending on how heavy the tax is. It is the same as the luxury tax many years ago...instead of the boat buyers paying the tax to keep the prices down, the boat makers had to end up paying the tax. That's why the luxury tax was abolished. However, the demand for junk food is a less elastic, so more burden would fall on the consumer. Again, time would tell.

 

I don't think we could compare it to the luxury tax, this is different.
I don't know if you have them in Florida, but here there is a "healthy" grocery store called Trader Joes - have you seen teh prices in there? They are astronomical. My point being a tax on very unhealthy foods (Skele suggested foods with 50g fat/serving) would at least, hopefully, bring unhealthy foods prices in line with the more healthy alternatives. Right now the upper middle class are the only ones who can afford to eat as healthy as possible.

Put it this way, if there were say 100% tax on a Big Mac meal it would be what, around $15. That sure would make a Jamba Juice smoothie a lot more attractive (that is if you don;t throw it at other motorists)

 

It would also run McDonalds out of business...is that right? It's supposed to be a free market, with the producers supplying what the consumers want.

And as for the throwing part

And BTW, yea we got a bunch of those health stores too....REALLY expensive.

 

Although I did compare the two, I also stated that the demand for junk food is less elastic, so I was trying to be fair with the two.

 

I don't think it would run McD's out of business, how many Cig companies have closed their doors since the multi-billion dollar lawsuits and ridiculous taxes? Americans still want to smoke and they will still want a big burger every now and then (not exactly what you get at McD's but you get the idea)

 

Look at it this way: A good burger at a normal restaurant cost around $10-15...if suddenly McDonalds cost JUST as much...then yea...you can fill in the rest. Most people don't depend on cigars like they do on cheap food. Every now and then won't be enough to cover the fixed costs for McDonalds. And what will you do when your blazed and ready for some Taco Bell, and the Taco Bell is gone?!?