Some think that governments should tax unhealthy foods to encourage people to eat healthier. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Nowadays, unhealthy eating lifestyle has become an

increasingly

Suggestion

increasing

worrisome topic in the news in the past ten years. Some people believe that heavy-handed governmental taxation on unhealthy

food

is the only way to compel healthier eating.

However

, I agree with those saying the effectiveness of tax is questionable, and other measurements should

also

be taken into account. For those who argue in favour of these

taxes

Suggestion

tax

point

Suggestion

points

to a logical chain of suppositions. Through taxes on unhealthy

food

such

as sugary drinks and fatty

food

, people would be less keen to purchase these categories of products. Taking taxation on smokers

for example

, governments were able to push through legislation to tax cigarettes heavily after decades of research shown that smoking causes lung cancer and heart diseases.

As a result

, those addicted to smoking would continue to smoke, but many people did not pick up the habit,

to begin

with.

Similarly

, proponents argue

this

would

also

be the case when it comes to rubbish foods known to cause cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Many would eat them despite higher prices, but the nest generation would become more health-conscious, and that would

further

trickle down to their children.

On the other hand

, opponents hold the notion that government taxation may not be as effective as predicted.

For instance

, after the war of independence from Britain, the newly formed United States instituted direly needed taxes on luxuries including whiskey and chocolate to raise money. The unpopular acts were internally vindicated when people continued to buy luxuries along with the same growth trend, even though cutting down on purely pleasurable products makes disinterested sense, people are more swayed by instant gravitation than cold calculation.

Therefore

, putting taxes on a sugary

food

product may not be sufficient,

instead

, governments should invest healthier school lunches and making healthy products more widely available to attack the problem at its root source. In conclusion, taxes on unhealthy foods would not be a useful measure against their consumption.

Instead

, other measurements should take into considerations,

such

as healthier school lunches to make people more aware of the problem from a young age.