Should Australia Impose A Fat Tax?

You have probably heard the recent stories in the media about the push for Australia to follow suit with Denmark in imposing a fat tax!

So what exactly is a fat tax and is it unfair on the obese or indeed an effective way to address the obesity crisis facing the western world?

Australia is now one of the fattest nations on the planet, so what does this mean for our health and indeed what is the cost to society, from this epidemic that is growing as fast as our waste lines.

Being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing a range of conditions, including coronary heart disease – which can lead to heart attack or stroke, Type II diabetes, some cancers, not to mention knee and hip problems and even sleep apnoea which can subsequently increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.   The proportion of adults (aged 18 years or over) classified as obese or overweight has increased from 56% in 1995 to 61% in 2007-08 – meaning more than half of  Australian society is obese.
In 2008, the total annual cost of obesity in Australia, including health system costs, productivity declines and carers’ costs, was estimated at a whopping $58 billion (Access Economics 2008).  So I am sure we can all agree that this rather astronomical outlay to treat a totally preventable condition could be better spent on other areas of our health system and society.

Which brings us to the question,  should those who choose to over indulge in products that knowingly contribute to the obesity epidemic and related illnesses, costing society billions of tax payers dollars each year, be forced to pay through a tax on these foods?

You would only feel the brunt of such a tax IF you were a regular customer of the companies that make these fattening foods, so it should be a simple equation – don’t eat these foods regularly and you won’t feel the sting in your pocket from the associated tax!

The fact is the obesity epidemic is only going to get worse as more and more children enter adulthood obese. In 2007-08, one quarter of Australian children (or around 600,000 children aged 5-17 years) were overweight or obese, up four percentage points from 1995. Studies have shown that once children become obese they are more likely to stay obese into adulthood and have an increased risk of developing diseases associated with obesity (AIHW 2004).  So the question is

‘HOW DO WE COMBAT THIS CRIPPLING EPIDEMIC?’

Many people claim their excuse for eating processed and junk foods is because  they are cheaper than buying healthy foods, such as fruit and vegetables.

Arguably it does not help when you see fast food outlets advertising that you can feed an entire family for little more than $20, so when you’re on a tight budget this may seem like a pretty  appealing way to feed them.  But is the real issue not that eating processed junk food is cheaper, but that our education around proper nutrition and our values around health, are up the spout?

Our attitude to our health and the food we choose to put into our body, is pretty much a reflection of our values.  If a healthy body and a sense of daily vitality is a high priority for us, then we will allocate portions of our budget to the foods and activities that help us to achieve this.  But if owning a plasma TV, the latest fashion and cars and other luxury items is higher on our list of values and money is an issue, then it appears prioritising healthy foods in our budget is going to be lower down the list.

The other issue is education, many of us still seem to lack knowledge around basic nutrition and this sadly seems to be more prevalent in lower socio economic sectors of society.  So is the problem that the financially under privileged don’t get access to a proper education on nutrition and healthy living?

The government is spending millions on advertising and education campaigns about proper nutrition and exercise – these include the Go for 2 and 5 campaign, promoting we eat more fresh fruit and vegetables and the latest ‘Swop It Dont Stop It’ campaign, suggesting we don’t need to completely stop all the things that are not good for our health, but merely swop certain foods and activities for healthier ones.  So if most of society has access to the media now days, then arguably we should be better educated from these healthy lifestyle campaigns, but despite the millions of dollar being spent to educate us, the obesity and lifestyle disease statistics indicate the message is not getting through.  In my view it is rather hypocritical for the government to run these educational advertising campaigns  if they wont address the legislation around advertising and marketing of junk foods.

Manufactures of the foods that contribute to the obesity epidemic need to wear some of the responsibility and this should  stem from what they are allowed to say in their very often misleading advertising and marketing. But let’s face it the food industry is very powerful and worth billions of dollars, a similar situation to the pharmaceutical industry.

So is taxing people who choose to over indulge on the foods that knowingly cause type II diabetes, obesity, heart attacks and cancer ,  the only way to deter people from doing so?

It is claimed that the massive tax assigned to tobacco products has reduced the rate of smokers ( http://www.vctc.org.au/downloads/CTFK_RaisingCigTaxes.pdf, ) with sales for cigarettes down, but we are yet to see evidence of this tax reducing the incidence of diseases linked directly to smoking.

There can be no argument against the need for better education as a major key to combating obesity.  If consumers across all financial sectors of society can afford to purchase luxury items like plasma TV’s and Nintendo video games – which might I add also feed the obesity crisis by encouraging the predisposition to ‘couch potatoitis’,  then the excuse that fresh fruit and vegetables and eating healthy food is expensive does not hold up in my view.

I believe that if we integrated a comprehensive course on nutrition and healthy cooking classes into our schooling system, from a very young age,  then healthy eating and better cooking habits would be ingrained in us and we would value our health and be more mindful of what we feed our bodies.

The government is arguing one of the challenges that may prevent a fat tax from being rolled out in Australia is ‘the difficulty in being able to distinguish good fats from bad fats’ (Sun Herald Oct 16 2011)……..my response to that  - first of all sugar is the major culprit when it comes to obesity and secondly, if they are having such a hard time distinguishing a good fat from a bad fat , then I suggest they attend a few  first year nutrition lectures to help them with this one.   Short of that,  I’m more than happy to offer my services to help them clarify this one for free!

I’d love to hear your comments on what you think about the proposed fat tax and whether you feel it would help reduce obesity.

To read more on preventing obesity and other lifestyle diseases, you can purchase my booklet

Begin A Healthy Life In 28 Days

Til my next post , stay healthy and happy

Sally x

© All Rights Reserved Sally Joseph 2011