Societies and individuals are negatively affected by unhealthy eating habits. Some people believe that a fat tax should be implemented, while others think that taxation is neither fair nor necessary. In my opinion, while I acknowledge the freedom of choice each of us should have in terms of what to eat or not, I strongly support the idea of a fat tax, as it would discourage the consumption of junk and sugary foods, increasing the overall wellness of the society.
To begin with, some people believe that eating choices are a concern of the individual, thus taxing unhealthy food is unfair and unnecessary. Each of us is responsible on what we consume, and eating habits as well should be a product of our choices and not a national concern. Instead, the government should shift its focus to more serious issues, such as public services and road maintenance, and tacklin the unemployment problems. However, I think that the collective trend of bad eating habits causing the unhealthy lifestyle, is indeed a concern of the government because it undermines the overall life quality of the society.
Next, others claim that taxation on certain types of food would discourage the consumption of sugary and junk food, ultimately improving the wellness of the population. For example, upon increasing the candies prices, the soaring number of overweight children would rapidly decline. In addition, if the tax would also cover junk food such as fries, burgers and highly-sugared drinks, it would prompt consumers to conduct an healthy lifestyle, lowering obesity rates and increasing the wellness of the society. That is why I utterly believe the fat tax should be implemented by the government as soon as possible.
In conclusion, while I acknowledge the importance of the freedom of individuals to choose what they can or cannot eat, the implementation of a fat tax is necessary to improve the wellness of the society because it prompts the conduction of an healthy lifestyle.