Weighing the Impact of an “Obesity Tax”

WedNEWSday - December 17th, 2008

This is perhaps the first time in my life where I would actually be in favor of a tax. Since taxes are not going to vanish any time soon, we might as well have taxes that make sense. With the constant “threat” of universal healthcare (meaning hardworking Americans like you and I will be on the hook for those in society who frequently overindulge) it only makes sense that individuals be held more accountable for their own health.

Statistics from the recent IHRSA (The International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association)/ASD (American Sports Data Inc.) Obesity/Weight Control Report, published on the ASD website reveal America’s growing epidemic. They call the findings “alarming” and say the U.S. population is “dangerously overweight.”

The NCHS (Nation Center for Health Statistics) has been collecting and analyzing data on obesity in the United States for over 40 years. Here is what they have found.

– Between 1962 and 2000, the number of obese Americans grew from 13% to 31%
– 63% of Americans are overweight with a Body Mass Index (BMI) above 25.0
– 31% are obese with a BMI above 30.0
– Childhood obesity in the United States has more than tripled in the past 20 years
– The U.S. Surgeon General reports that obesity leads to 300,000 deaths per year

Keeping in mind that the current population of the Unites States is over 305 million people, these numbers are indeed staggering. How can people who perpetually overeat expect others to pick up the tab for their hip and knee replacements, their pharmaceuticals, and all their other medical expenses that surely will accompany such a lifestyle?

You and I should not pay for any of this. Their poor choices and lack of discipline should not have a negative impact on our families’ financial futures. Hopefully we see more legislation like this in the future, where individuals will shoulder the majority of the burden for their own indiscretions.

Although NY Governor David Paterson (D) (pictured below) has proposed an absurd number of new taxes, the “obesity tax” is one that will hold people personally accountable, something that many of us welcome given that our personal finances are on the line.

This from The Financial Times - December 17th, 2008

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/30ccfeaa-cbdb-11dd-ba02-000077b07658.html

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