Denmark taxes fatty products; Denmark is to impose the world's first "fat tax"

The Telegraph ^ | Richard Orange and Grant Junkie

[Eric Blair 2084]

The move may increase pressure for a similar tax in the UK, which suffers from the highest levels of obesity in Europe.

Starting from this Saturday, Danes will pay an extra 30p on each pack of butter, 8p on a pack of crisps, and an extra 13p on a pound of mince, as a result of the tax.

The tax is expected to raise about 2.2bn Danish Krone (£140m), and cut consumption of saturated fat by close to 10pc, and butter consumption by 15pc. "It's the first ever fat-tax," said Mike Rayner, Director of Oxford University's Health Promotion Research Group, who has long campaigned for taxes on unhealthy foods. "It's very interesting. We haven't had any practical examples before. Now we will be able to see the effects for real." The tax will be levied at 2.5 per Kg of saturated fat and will be levied at the point of sale from wholesalers to retailers.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Welcome to a great racket and the brave new world in "public health". It used to be that gubmints were interested in protecting citizens from communicable diseases.

Now, if gubmint and your fellow citizens are paying for your healthcare, it is their right to intervene and save taxpayer money.

Remember the lame "having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing section in the pool" joke?

If I had a dollar for every 400 pound heffer who waived their sausage like fingers in front of their face when I used to smoke, and then diving back into their plate of nachos grande, I would be a millionaire.

"Having an obese, artery clogging fat type 2 diabetic section in the insurance pool is like having a peeing section."

[Eric Blair 2084]

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[ken21]

moochelle obama will be eating her fat food as she limits yours.

[WKUHilltopper]

It’s not about giving a crap about one’s health, it’s about pulling the wool over their eyes and sucking their wallets dry.

[Eric Blair 2084]

November 2012 will bring a whole new meaning to her “Let’s Move” campaign.

The U-Haul truck rental store in Alexandria is ready.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Like the tobacco tax has nothing to do with “health concerns”, the “fat tax” has nothing to do with “obesity”. This is all about TAX REVENUE!!! Politicians just milking the people of their last penny. Nothing for those jerks in Denmark to really be proud of.

[Tucker39]

Isn’t it the Danes who export all those canned hams to the U.S.? This latest move strikes me as rather hypocritical; but then, what else is new?!

[Chode]

black market butter now???

[maggief]

[Jack Hydrazine]

When do we get to tax government for being morbidly obese?

[kingu]

The question now becomes, why isn’t this tax progressive? Shouldn’t it be by proper percentage of income of the consumer? To a millionaire, what’s a few pence for a pound of butter? That millionaire might take notice if it was twenty or eighty pounds, plus, such a progressive and enlightened attitude would bring more income into the state, which could then be used to help lift the poor up, and if the rich disagree, why, they can just cut down on their cake consumption.

Thing is, wouldn’t surprise me if that argument was ripped out of this post and put into an editorial tomorrow to advocate for doing exactly that... Liberal ideology is rather consistent - all your everything belong to us.

[TigersEye]

“Well, that can’t happen here.” - FLW

[Eric Blair 2084]

That’s a good point.

All your moneys are belongs to us. Fran Tarkentons op-ed in the Wall Street Journal today regarding pubic skool education got me thinking. In the NFL, the fine for beating the snot out of another player with a cheap shot to the head is $15,000. If the fine were only $250 it wouldn’t deter an athlete making 7 figures.

Maybe the cigarette tax or burger tax should be based on the perpetrators ability to pay.

You have to show your W2 to buy cigarettes. If you make more than $30,000 the tax is $8 pack. If you make less than that, it’s tax free.

[a fool in paradise]

Ach! Mein Danish!!!

[AlaskaErik]

Martin Niemöller comes to mind. Cigarettes, alcohol and now, fatty foods. I wonder what's next. I also wonder if anyone will speak up now.

[CSM]

Nope, didn’t see this coming.....

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

The Danes are as dumb as we are. It’s not the fats causing the obesity; it’s all the carbs (sugar, processed food, juices, sodas, etc.).

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[CIDKauf]

No more Danish hams...after all it is fatty, it is piggy, and its time to boycott the Danish... and the danish too