In some countries an increasing number of people are suffering form 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?

In the

last

years, the intake of fast

food

has experienced a sharp increase in several countries, which has lead to many health issues. I strongly believe that governments should address the problem by penalizing

this

food

economically. The need for higher taxes on fast

food

can be better understood after taking into account several points.

Firstly

, fast

food

is addictive and actually make eats

consumers

seek portion sizes that are far bigger than what it's considered healthy.

This

can be clearly seen in some western countries

such

as the USA, where the rate of obesity has sharply increased to over 50% of its population.

Secondly

, putting higher taxes on a certain product has been shown to dramatically reduce the number of its

consumers

.

For example

, in the

last

five years, cigarette's demand in Spain experimented an enormous decrease

as a result

of the high taxes that the government had imposed.

Thirdly

, fast

food

is the cause not only of body-related ailments

such

as heart diseases and strokes, but it's

also

one of the main reasons for the current outbreak of mental health problems like bulimia.

This

must be severely cut, and putting up the price of

this

type of meal would make everybody take into account other - healthier- options.

On the other hand

, fast

food

has been claimed by its

consumers

because they argue, it helps them meet the requirements of the swiftness of today's life, given that it's convenient and ready anytime. Eating in a restaurant takes twice the time as eating a meal that can be ordered on the run.

This

does not necessarily imply saving time; as a matter of fact, the addictive part makes fast

food

consumers

spend longer eating throughout the day. Fast

food

can be considered a delicacy to some, and it does no harm when consumed occasionally, but it should never be taken as an everyday thing, and governments could - and should - regulate it as fast as possible.