The FAT Tax Debate

THE “FAT TAX” DEBATE

In Pinarayi Vijayan government’s first budget, Finance Minister Thomas Issac announced the introduction of the ‘fat tax.’ This tax will be levied at 14.5% of the total bill on junk food items like pizzas, burgers, and other processed foods sold through fast food chains like McDonalds, Pizza Hut and the like.

Kerala is the first Indian state to have introduced such a tax and faces criticism for its bold move, but I believe that it is indeed a laudable step. Kerala, being the second most obese state after Punjab requires such policy measures to slash the fast-rising obesity rates and lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases and hypertension which are on a high rise in Kerala.

 In the wake of the above mentioned facts, by introducing the fat tax, I believe that the Kerala government has shown concern and recognised its responsibility towards health and lifestyle issues.

The Nagrik Aapati:

Ø Many consider it is a means by which the government aims to fill its coffers;

Ø Moreover, fast food is not very prevalent in the state of Kerala;  and

Ø It is a discriminatory ban on fast food as the tax does not include in its ambit, the fried traditional Indian food items like samosas, banana chips, etc. 

Each of these criticisms is to be addressed logically and the rationale behind this tax has to be understood.

Vishlaishan:

The fat tax would add almost 100 million rupees that hardly makes a difference to the debt- ridden government whose budget runs into the tens of billion rupees. The aim of introducing such a tax is not to fill the coffers of the government, but to slash obesity rates and promote healthy living by creating awareness regarding the debilitating effects of junk food on the human body. 

Secondly, critics offer the argument that Kerala has only a few fast food chains and that such a tax is not required. In a state where obesity and heart diseases are spreading like wild fire, even a small move to tackle the situation should be hailed as a good one.

Lastly, yes, the fat tax excludes from it’s ambit the traditional Indian foods like the one’s mentioned above which are equally unhealthy but one can still hope that with proper and successful implementation of this maiden Indian experiment, unhealthy traditional Indian snacks will gradually be added under its purview.

On Road To Experimentation:

Obesity and the lifestyle diseases that it fuels are major global concerns. Many European countries have previously experimented with the fat tax in different ways and now after Kerala, the state of Gujarat is also considering the implementation of the fat tax. 

Whether this tax will have a major impact or not, or whether it will be effective in curbing the problems it seeks to tackle; only time will tell. But it is definitely a positive and constructive step towards managing the problem and one can hope that it sets a precedent for all other Indian states to follow.

About The Writer

Tina Benny is a second year student of UILS and has participated in GNLU PD'15, RGNUL PD'15 and in CUPD'16 in the capacity of an adjudicator. She has participated in various other conventional debates and is a proficient writer.