Government advisors recommend 'fat tax'

Thursday, 19 February 2004 12:00 AM

Downing Street is reportedly considering plans to implement a 'fat tax' on junk food items.

The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit has recommended taxing products such as burgers crisps, fizzy drinks, butter and whole milk in a bid to tackle Britain's growing obesity crisis.

The advisory group suggested extra duty or VAT being imposed on some popular foods after recent medical research showed that heart disease has overtaken cancer as Britain's biggest killer, obesity levels are soaring and more young people have started to develop diabetes, The Times reports.

The newspaper claims to have seen the Strategy Unit paper, Personal Responsibility and Changing Behaviour, which recommends a number of public policy initiatives including a national sports drive and lifestyle lessons in school.

The paper suggests: "improved regulated nutritional standards for common processed foods and drinks - fat and sugar content - could be a society-wide intervention, helping to ensure that benefits were not excessively polarised by social class."

It adds: "There might even be potential to consider fiscal measures - a "fatty food tax" applied to food not people - or different VAT treatment for foods with poor nutritional standards. This would be a signal to producers as well as consumers and serve more broadly as a signal to society that nutritional content in food is important."

The government paper comes as the European Union considers taxing fatty foods following a recent World Health Organisation report on obesity.

British GPs have supported the fat tax, but the Food and Drink Federation claims it would be bad for consumers and the economy and would have a serious financial effect on lower-income families.

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