What is fat tax, and whether it is justified?
A fat tax is nothing but a tax or surcharge placed on food linked to obesity. The primary aim and motive to impose the fat tax are to decrease fattening food and beverages and overweight individuals. This is major since an increase in price due to fat tax reduces food and drink consumption, thereby curbing health issues related to obesity.
Taxes on tobacco have seen the smoking rate decrease, resulting in essential and justified in imposing unhealthy junk food. The main reason to implement a fat tax is to make sure people don’t consume unhealthy food on a large scale. However, whether or not taxation influences a person’s diet is empirical and not merely a matter of public debate. Kindly note the revenue generated with this tax is used to better the nation’s growth and development.
Different countries have identified the need for fat tax imposition in various forms ranging from tobacco, liquor, junk food being served at Pizza hut, McDonald’s, etc. This has led to many protests and rallies by various food chains. This regime makes the customers divert towards other options of the Indian food market. In India, Kerala was the first state to make an effort to implement a fat tax and feel the need and importance of the same. Following this, Gujarat has been in discussion with food chains and local governments to impose the same.
This is the fight against fat, not people or the food chain in general. We need to understand and focus on the agenda and vision behind the imposition of these taxes. Further to this, recently, there have been changes in the fashion industry and the introduction of plus size clothes and branded apparel for obese people or one outside the standard size range. We miss on discussing the higher pricing done concerning such products available in the market. Many brands have now brought in plus size in their catalog, and the price is definitely on the higher side depending on the size, brand, and of course, gender. There is no uniformity in terms of the rate at which fat tax is imposed.
According to fat tax is just another way to mint money; why I feel so? Because if fat tax is based on the fact that plus-size will need more fabric and cloth, then the accordingly small size will need less fabric and material, which brings us to the reality that brands are hiking the price of plus size products but not reducing the same for a smaller size than the normal range. If this is the case and plus-size people are asked to bear higher costs, why not skinny people get the advantage in pricing for wearing XS size. Extra pricing on the same clothes as the size is more prominent is justified, and we need to see the bigger picture here.
Contributed By- Pragya Agrawal, Content Writer at Mitti Ke Rang.
Our Social Media:
LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitti-ke-rang-mkr-81b230120/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mitikerang?s=08
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitti_ke_rang?r=nametag
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mitikerang/
YouTube:
