StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

The Pros and Cons of the Implementation of Fat Tax in the UK - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The main purpose of the research is to present a critical analysis of the pros and cons of the implementation of ‘fat tax’ in the UK. It appears that the most potent and reliable way to resolve this crisis is to tax obese people, not food businesses or fatty foods…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.9% of users find it useful
The Pros and Cons of the Implementation of Fat Tax in the UK
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Pros and Cons of the Implementation of Fat Tax in the UK"

Download file to see previous pages

This essay discusses that the United Kingdom is becoming ‘fat’. According to the National Health Services (NHS), obesity is one of the biggest problems confronting UK in the 21st century; obesity causes several diseases or health problems. As this problem is growing, there are many attempts to control it. There is a suggestion in the UK that a tax on junk food is the only solution to mitigate this problem. This essay critically evaluates the arguments for and against such proposal. People who support ‘fat tax’ argue that this proposal is likely to be effective because this strategy has been used to alcohol and cigarettes quite successfully.

According to Jofre, the UK is considered to be the ‘fattest’ nation in Europe. In line with this, the rate of obesity in the UK is growing steadily, and time is short, which implies that ‘fat tax’ could be the perfect solution for obesity. For instance, Denmark is one of the slimmest countries in Europe because it implemented ‘fat tax’. It is also argued that ‘fat tax’ has an impact on health for it is widely known that sugar and fat are the main reason for obesity. Thus, the basis for the proposal becomes obvious.

As stated by Jofre, if the public cannot take care of their health, then the government is obliged to take action. In contrast, people who are against this proposal believe that it is their choice, and not the responsibility of the government. But what are the real advantages and disadvantages of implementing ‘fat tax’ in the UK? An obvious advantage of ‘fat tax’ is the revenue it could generate. ‘Fat tax’ would probably have to be quite large so as to make a difference on food preference, producing additional revenues (Leicester & Windmeijer 2004).

Such revenues could be used for obesity prevention and treatment agendas, or to fund the promotion of nutritious foods. There is logical argument for the possible success of implementing ‘fat tax’ in order to lessen consumption of unhealthy foods. One of the main factors affecting food preference is price, together with ease, quality, and taste, and, to a lesser degree, health (Jofre 2010). ‘Fat tax’ has been proven to be successful in Denmark. However, implementing ‘fat tax’ is difficult.

It is hard to determine what foods should be taxed. However, even though difficult to implement, Denmark, and other countries, have shown success in adopting ‘fat tax’. This proposal is disapproved of by other people for wrongly troubling the poor, for poor people consume higher quantities of junk foods and would hence be held back by ‘fat tax’ (Leicester & Windmeijer 2004). Yet, poor people may profit as well since price is more precious to poor people in choosing foods to eat, and thus ‘fat tax’ may result in major change in consumption behaviour for poor people in comparison with rich ones who can buy nutritious foods.

Especially, nutritious food decisions would have to be cheap and easy to get to. If not, poor people, who remain incapable of buying nutritious foods, will either be pushed to starve or shell out more to sustain a harmful diet. If obesity is a real major problem in the UK, it is more helpful to think of other ways, since the ‘fat tax’ proposal looks weak. In particular, ‘fat taxes’ that financially support obesity prevention and treatment agendas, and complaints against food businesses, appear quite financially advantageous for the individuals supporting them, such as attorneys and public health advocates, without essentially solving the obesity crisis (Press Association 2011).

What’s more, a lot of people eat wisely, so why should they be burdened of the taxes intended to discipline irresponsible consumers? And there are no sure proof that obesity is caused by the failure of food businesses to inform consumers that hamburgers and ice creams are fatty foods. It appears that the most

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The Pros and Cons of the Implementation of Fat Tax in the UK Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/finance-accounting/1394592-the-pros-and-cons-of-the-implementation-of-fat-tax-in-the-uk
(The Pros and Cons of the Implementation of Fat Tax in the UK Essay)
https://studentshare.org/finance-accounting/1394592-the-pros-and-cons-of-the-implementation-of-fat-tax-in-the-uk.
“The Pros and Cons of the Implementation of Fat Tax in the UK Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/finance-accounting/1394592-the-pros-and-cons-of-the-implementation-of-fat-tax-in-the-uk.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Pros and Cons of the Implementation of Fat Tax in the UK

The United Kingdom and Proposed European Union Financial Transaction

The United Kingdom and the proposed European Union Financial Transaction tax Introduction The European Union financial transaction tax (EU FTT) is an official proposal put forward by the European Commission with intent to introduce a financial transaction tax system within the EU's 27 member states by 2014.... hellip; “The tax would impact financial transactions between financial institutions charging 0.... However, the proposed tax system will not have an impact on citizens and businesses....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

The Extent of the Benefits of Adopting International Financial Reporting Standards

Critically Assess The Extent Of The Benefits Of Adopting International Financial Reporting Standards In Lieu Of A Country's Domestic Standards In Respect Of the uk's Decision To Adopt International Financial Reporting Standards Abstract International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is fundamentally used in preparing the financial statements of an organisation following a given code of practice to offer a better understanding of the organisational viability.... Concerns Arising from implementation of IFRS 20 2....
22 Pages (5500 words) Dissertation

British wildlife & conservation

UK BAP or the uk Biodiversity Action Plan was published in the year 1994 and it highlights the habitats in UK that need special attention and implementation of habitat conservation strategies since scientific literature had proved that habitat alterations was one of the greatest threats posed directly to species and ecosystems.... PROS of habitat Conservation: Those “habitats and communities that have suffered greatest losses or are more vulnerable to further losses in the near future” can be saved by through conservation of the natural habitats (Noss et al, 1997, p 9) A careful and well monitored implementation of a habitat conservation plan has some positive impacts and subsequent good results....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Financial Statement

% as calculated below Return on equity= Net profit after tax/ Total equity =m 467/ 2074 = 22.... The group's annual sales revenue has been almost stagnant for the last ten years.... If it had maintained a sustained growth of even 5% every year, it would have reached at least m 15,000 by 2005-06....
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

The Adoption of the Single Currency by the Eurozone Countries

The paper "Eurozone" tells us about single European currency.... nbsp;Although the Maastricht Treaty committed the European Union to the goal of economic and monetary union (EMU) several years ago, debate over the matter continues to rage.... hellip; The euro is a single currency arrangement that came into theoretical operation between 12 members of the European Union in January 1999 (What are the arguments 2002)....
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

Application of IFRS

Different companies have interpreted the standards in different ways, and it appears that this interpretation aspect is the major cause of inconsistency or lack of uniformity appearing the implementation of IFRS among companies.... hellip; Various studies have been conducted on the subject matter of implementation of IFRS and the results of these studies are mixed reactions from respondent companies.... Matez Bosnak12, partner of Ernest & Young in Slovakia has while assessing the first-year implementation of IAS, rightly stated that “typically, IFRS financial statements include several pages explaining the company's accounting policies....
9 Pages (2250 words) Case Study

Tax Planning And Tax Avoidance

The paper "tax Planning And tax Avoidance" describes that effective and efficient use of tax-saving measures results in saving the tax payments of the organization and even individuals.... Importantly, these tax savings have been legally benefitted such as grants, allowances.... hellip; An important rationale saving with planning is also a fact that it is the only portion of the benefit that the tax planner drives which remains the primary direction and guideline for the business....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

The Question of Scotland's Independence

For the understanding of the phenomenon from every angle, let's try to consider should Scotland be dependent or not by researching the pros and cons of the question.... It outlines why the Scots aim to get and keep complete independence of the state, analyzes from every angle pros and cons of Scotland's independence, including financial and political aspects....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us