Will Fat Tax Come To United States?
Monday, October 10th, 2011
Will Fat Tax Come To United States?
Now that Denmark has imposed a “fat tax” on foods such as butter and oil as a way to curb unhealthy eating habits experts in the United States wonder if a similar fax tax will come to this country to help raise money and serve to discourage people from eating fatty foods which can lead to heart disease and death.
Ole Linnet Juul, food director at Denmark’s Confederation of Industries, says the tax will increase the price of a burger by around $0.15 and raise the price of a small package of butter by around $0.40.
The tax was approved by large majority in a parliament in March as a move to help increase the average life expectancy of Danes.
Denmark, like some other European countries, already has higher fees on sugar, chocolates and soft drinks, but Linnet Juul says he believes the Nordic country is the first in the world to tax fatty foods.
Hungary’s Hamburger Law
In September, Hungary introduced a new tax popularly known as the “Hamburger Law,” but that only involves higher taxes on soft drinks, pastries, salty snacks and food flavorings. (more…)