In some countries an increasing number of people are suffering from health problems as a result of eating too much fast food. It is therefore necessary for governments to impose a higher tax on this kind of food. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

The growth of the fast
food
industry has, without doubt, impacted on the eating habits and the health of many societies around the world. Diabetes, high cholesterol, heart and respiratory problems are all on the rise due to
fatty
Suggestion
fat
and sugar-rich
food
.
However
, the question is whether
higher
Suggestion
the higher tax
tax
would improve
this
situation or not. From an economic point of view, higher
tax
might seem sensible. In countries
such
as the USA, Australia and Britain, the
healthcare
Suggestion
health care
system spends a large part of its budget on people with diet-related health problems. It could be argued that these people have caused their own illnesses because of their choice of
food
. In
this
case, why should they expect the state to pay for their treatment? The
tax
could help fund the
healthcare
Suggestion
health care
system.
However
, we
also
need to consider which
socio-economic
involving social as well as economic factors
socioeconomic
group consumes fast
food
as the main part of their diet. Statistics indicate that lower income groups eat more of
this
food
than wealthier people. One possible reason for
this
is that fast
food
is far cheaper than fresh produce.
This
is because many governments offer large subsidies to farmers who provide products for the fast
food
industry,
such
as corn, wheat and beef. Fruit and vegetables,
on the other hand
, are not subsidised. Research suggests that many families simply cannot afford to buy healthy
food
or pay higher taxes on fast
food
. For them, fast
food
is not a choice but a necessity. In conclusion, imposing a higher
tax
on fast
food
does not seem to be the answer. If the government chose to do
this
, it would only lead to greater poverty and families facing
further
hardship.
Submitted by chinpak923 on

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Your opinion

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • public health
  • obesity
  • diabetes
  • heart disease
  • health outcomes
  • healthcare costs
  • consumer behavior
  • socio-economic backgrounds
  • ethical implications
  • public health campaigns
  • subsidies
  • regulations
  • nutritional content
  • healthier food options
  • government intervention
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