government might put tax on junk food. yay or nay? and why?


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nay cuz kidies cant afford to pay xtra taxes on candy

its not just candy. i believe it applys to burger, chips, chocolate, pop, fries and etc.

nay, i think this is a stupid idea... instead of putting a tax on junk food i think they should advocate programs that promote healthy living and staying active. putting a tax on junk food isnt going to make people stop eating it. theres tax on cigarettes and the prices for them have raised substantially in the past few years yet EVERYONE (even those that smoke them) knows how harmful and even deadly they are and still spend hundreds of dollars a year on them.

"The Medical Society of P.E.I. is calling for a junk food tax, saying people who eat unhealthy food should pay the price of their choices." ()

in response to this, the people that eat unhealthy foods and CHOOSE not to excersize/stay fit are already paying the price.
call me a liberalist but i think its up to the person whether they want to be unhealthy or not. I for one eat quite a lot of junk food, cant help it, im 20 years old and dont always have time to eat a proper meal (busy with school and work). HOWEVER, i am aware of the consequences of eating such food and therefore choose to work it off. I find the time, even in my busy schedule because we all know how "bad" it is to be eating junk food instead of full and complete meals.

IMO i dont think its fair for the people that eat junk food and DONT have unhealthy lifestyles. You can eat junk food (moderately...) and still be healthy. I think slamming taxes on junk food is "semi-lazy" of the government. As if making people pay more for something is really going to make them quit. Moreover, if they DO decide to put taxes on the junk food, it better actually go to something worthwhile.

nay. grrrr. . . . how could u tax junk food. Its not like its gonna actually make people stop eatting mc dixx and what not, 20 cents extra for a burger isnt really gonna make a difference, but im sure it will piss people off and more money for the government. They're just looking for excuses to tax just about everythign and anything.

Sorry, theres my 2 cents

Nay, very bad way of approaching how to eliminate junk food from kids diets.

tax on junk food !>>

I like the idea of trying to promote healthy diets (junk food free for about a year now, don't miss it AT ALL! ) but taxing probably won't help, unfortunately.

oh i heard that by 2008, theres going to be no junk food.

junk food is no good....but still a nay from me

dont worry i doubt thats possible people will import it if they have to.

yah doubt nvr guna happen..they want business no junk food company really cares bout ur health ..and there HAS to be junk food for the olympicS?!

I'm gonna play devil's advocate and say YAAAAAY!

In a TRUE liberal society, everyone is free to do as they wish SO LONG AS IT DOESN'T HARM NOR INFRINGE ON OTHER PEOPLE'S RIGHTS AND/OR OPPORTUNITIES. Now, you're right that people should be able to eat whatever they want and live as they wish but their unhealthy lifestyle is costing society as a whole billions of dollars each year on health care and health related costs that are subsidized by citizens' tax money -- tax money which could be used on more important issues such as child poverty, better education system, etc.

While you're argument is valid that promoting a healthier lifestyle with balanced meals and exercise should be priority...and the government certainly has done so (there are so many commercials on the radio and tv that attempts to do such since the 90's), obviously it has not been sufficient. I believe the junk food tax is a supplement to the effort. Just like other vices that harm one's body (cigs, alcohol, etc.) and lead to medical related consequences are taxed...so should junk food.

If you developed a habit as a child to pick an apple over a chocolate bar, you're more likely to lead a healthy lifestyle growing up. While imposing tax on junk food will not (and its not intended to) prohibit junk food...it will certainly encourage someone to consider an alternative (i.e. eating a fruit instead of candy) so in a sense, it's not imposing on anyone's right to choose.

they already put tax on junkfood! or where i buy it, they always add tax. and plus, its another excuse for the government to get more money and no matter what, more people are gonna buy junkfood then the people that dont. even if chocolate bars were jacked up to 2$ each, people would still buy them.