Slide 2-3: REBUTTAL- Cartoon, Manufacturers

Contribution
Slide 4-5: REBUTTAL- Individual vs Societal problem:
Obesity Graphs and Figures
Slide 6-7: REBUTTAL Benefience vs. Common Good
Cartoon, Government Intervention
Slide 8: REBUTTAL - Lower Income Families
Slide 9-10: 2nd AFFIRMATIVE- Fat tax around the world
Slide 11-12: 2nd AFFIRMATIVE - Support of fat tax and
Ideal Fat Tax

Manufacturers: Contribution

Trans-fat effort: many manufacturers restructured their products.

To avoid loses, companies simply need to switch to healthier
ingredients. Any company that is worth worrying about will
work to change their product to meet health standards.
Pepsico, CocaCola and Snapple produce over 115 zero or low
calorie beverages, (not affected by the current NY tax).
The fact is manufacturing companies are willingly contributing the
obesity epidemic.

Disregard of negative association between diet and disease

Encourage short term gratification over preserving long term well being
No consideration of big picture health and social costs of
consumption of their products

Obesity: Your Problem or Mine?

December 2011 Iowa Debate, Obama
stated if we went back to the
obesity rates that existed in 1980,
that would save the Medicare system
a trillion dollars.

Clinton states on her personal

website, Medicare could save
over a trillion dollars over 25
years if obesity among seniors
could be returned to levels in
the 1980s.

FAT TAX : BENEFITS

COSTS : OBESITY

37% rise in healthcare expenses

(1996-2006) due to the increase
in obesity. (Finkelstein et al, 2009)
Obesity & related diseases =
$117 billion/year in medical
expenses ($42 billion more than
tobacco!) Who absorbs this
cost?! (surgeon general)
Indirect costs of obesity
(unemployment, missed days of
work and decreased job
productivity ) = $40 billion a year
(Finklestein et al, 2009)$70
billion/year (HBO)

The overall financial costs

of obesity are greater
than those for smoking or
alcoholism (which have
already successfully
been taxed)!

A 10% tax on sugar-laden

beverages = 8%-10% cut in their
consumption. (UN Report)
A penny-per-ounce soda tax :
consumption by 15%, prevent
millions of diabetes cases and
nearly 100,000 heart disease
cases, AND save $17 billion in
medical costs. (Dr. Kirsten
Bibbins-Domingo, UofC)
20% tax on sugar-sweetened
drinks: obesity rates by 3.5%
and prevent 2,700 heart-related
deaths each year. (Mytton et al)

ban trans fat! Lets

censor the internet! I
need the government
to make decisions for
me because I'm too
stupid to figure out
what isn't good for
me by myself.
(civilian response to
fat tax)

Purpose of a democratic
government? To both protect and
represent its citizens.
The government commonly adopts
policies to shape behavior.
Economists agree that
government intervention is
justified when the market fails to
provide the optimum amount of
good for a societys well-being.
A fat tax is a way for the
government to respect its
boundaries.

A fat tax doesnt infringe on

personal choice but protects
the society in general from
harm.
FAT TAX = BEING HELD RESPONSIBLE
FOR YOUR

LONG TERM BENEFITS Vs. SHORT

TERM DEFECITS
In what populations is obesity most
prevalent?
Silver lining : $ healthy food = $
medical bills
Healthier lifestyle = more
productivity at work and less
absenteeism
Research - households families with
children do see a reduction in intake
of added sugar and saturated fat
due to fat tax
Easy Way to avoid fat tax = buy
fatty food.more
on thisYOUR
in a FUTURE time + effort now
ANless
INVESTMENT
TOWARDS
bit
= reap individual and societal benefits in the future

Fat Tax Around the World

Fat Tax Around the world

Denmark, 2011:

TARGET = Saturated fat , 2.14 Euro/Kilo - 2.3%(+) saturated fat

Candy tax of 60 years
Not focused enough on junk food

TARGET = Added sugar (natural/artificial) in beverages, 7.16 euro/HL

Food/drink in schools is controlled
Marketing of foods high in fat, sugar and salt is banned except if taxed
and marketed with a health warning.
Childhood obesity 15.5%, 2007 (18.1% in 2000)

France, 2011:

Hungary, 2011:

TARGET = High sugar & salt, 0.037 euro

70 Million Euros/yr health care costs
Those who live unhealthily will have to contribute more. (Hungarian
Prime minister, Viktor Orban)

Finland, 2011:

TARGET = Sweets, 0.75/kilo

TARGET = Soft drinks - 7.5 cents/L

U.S. opinion polls show support for sugared beverage taxes ranges
from 37% to 72%; people tend to be more in favor when the health
benefits of fat taxes are emphasized.

IDEAL FAT TAX

20% on: Sugar and Refined Starch Products,
Processed fat products
Exempt: Staple food items
Subsidies: Healthy foods
Where does the money go?!
Nutrition Education: Community prevention
and awareness, school programs such as
Farm to School
Healthcare prevention and treatment
An article published in the American
Journal of Public Health in 2003
found that 17 U.S. states already
have special taxes on soft
drinks, candy and snack foods
and estimated that these fat taxes
already generate more than $1