Unhealthy eating has had negative effects on both individuals and the society. Some people suggest the governments should tax such food while others feel that a fat tax is biased and unnecessary. I do not think that a fat tax will bring an enormous change to reduce the consumption of unhealthy food.
Introduction of a fat tax can reduce the consumption of unhealthy food because people will have to spend more of their household income to eat such food. This suggests that people become more cautious when spending money. So, people opt for cheaper alternatives such as fruits and vegetables which are also healthy foods. For example, the United States of America introduced a tax on soft drinks which increased the consumption of fruit smoothies drastically. As a result, the negative effects on individuals and societies of eating unhealthy food reduced.
Contrastingly, I dont agree with the veiws of a fat tax benefiting the people, because consumption of unhealthy food is an addiction like smoking and drinking. People will tend to pay higher prices just because of their obsession to eat junk food. My parents continue to eat burgers even when the price of burgers increased by 3 AED. As a result, governments will just reduce household savings by initiating fat taxes. However, other approaches can be used such as psychologically targeting people to avoid unhealthy food. The government can spend money on developing ads which create a sense of guilt for people that eat unhealthy food. Therefore, people will become upset about living with that guilt and establish a healthier diet.
Overall, I think that fat taxes will only encourage a small portion of the population to change their diet. Psychologically targeting people can enforce the mindset of change for people with a bad diet.