|
In New Jersey, Taxes Can Make Your Fat
By Elizabeth M. Whelan, Sc.D., M.P.H.
Given the national trend toward the use of taxes and regulations to combat obesity, a recently passed new tax in New Jersey seems completely unproductive and counterintuitive: the Garden State has slapped a 7% tax on health club memberships.
Just when we should be giving people incentives to work out, New Jersey is penalizing consumers for doing so. What's next, a tax on diet soda?
New Jersey and obesity: perfect together.
Across the nation, government agencies are considering measures (most of them of dubious value) to combat our growing obesity problem. The New York City Department of Health just voted to require restaurants (like McDonald's and Burger King), which already provide nutrition information, to offer even more information on the calorie content of their selections. These establishments already have calorie information on their websites, wall posters, place mats, and food wrappers. But the new law mandates that they also add calorie information on menu boards. In many cities, there are proposals to use zoning laws to limit the number of fast food restaurants in a given area, tax so-called junk foods, or ban certain food advertising -- and plans to remove soda and snacks from school vending machines.
There is no evidence that any of these initiatives will make us any slimmer. By far the most important two things we can do are (a) raise awareness about healthy weight and the recommended daily caloric intake to maintain that weight and (b) get Americans moving -- encouraging everyone to exercise on a regular, daily basis.
Taxing them for exercising certainly won't help.
Dr. Elizabeth M. Whelan is president of the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH.org, HealthFactsAndFears.com).
|
