A Tax on Fatty Foods?
By Corinne Amoo
LONDON (Reuters) - Hamburgers, soft drinks and cakes could be hit with a "fat-tax" in a bid to combat Britain's growing levels of obesity, doctors said Monday.
The British Medical Association is proposing a 17.5 percent VAT on high-fat foods like biscuits and processed meats to solve obesity-related problems, which cost the NHS roughly 500 million pounds ($825 million) a year.
"There is an epidemic of obesity in the UK," said BMA spokesman Dr Martin Breach. "You are what you eat and if that is the case the British public have a huge problem."
"Charging VAT on saturated foods found in processed meat products like sausages, pies and pastries, butter and cream, may help save some lives."
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