Lately it has spurred the discussion about whether the government should implement a so-called “fat tax”, a tax on junk food. Its goal would be to counter the tendency which is becoming more and more frequent in our society to enjoy unhealthy meals, such as those provided by fast food companies,rather than healthy homemade food.
On one hand, it is claimed that junk food does not produce any value to our society, and even though it should not be banned, an enormous tax is to apply on its purchase. This is because it both hurts the human body,as it is well-known,and the society we live in, since the profit made by companies such as McDonald’s or Burger King go towards the pockets of a few people rather than the whole community. This means that this type of diet not only will reduce the average life-expectancy of people following it, but also harm the economy of countries not legislating against it.
On the other hand, it is argued that everyone should be free to choose their own meal, despite the potential damage it could cause to their overall health. People of this opinion would support the idea that the state should not interfere with the life of an individual’s life, whose choices, when they do not harm other people, cannot be regulated by any kind of exterior authority. The recently gained popularity of fast food is taken as another argument against the “fat tax”: if it is so liked, we have to make peace with the fact that it is going to be consumed more in the future, and we should invest more in public health and other social devices that can contain the damage this kind of diet can make.
To sum up, both sides of the argument have their points: one focuses on the well being of the population and economy, the other believes that individual freedom is more important.
My personal view is that we have become so accustomed to buy everything we like, that to give up on something seems an offense, but as time goes by we will have to work with the damage we have created, and although this cannot be eliminated it can be significantly reduced with a slight effort in the present.