It appears that the Government is considering a man boob and muffin top tax (MBMT for short).  Unless you’ve been living in a cave over the past couple of months, I’m sure you are aware of the new health care bill that is in congress.  The reason for the bill is to try to “fix” our health care system by instituting measures that will both reduce the cost of health care and provide insurance to those that can’t afford it.

As with anything that comes out of Washington, this, too, comes with a ridiculous price tag.  This one is estimated to cost the tax payers $1 Trillion (with a T) .  This has many sane members in congress balking at the proposal.  How are we going to pay for it?

A recent study released showed that obesity currently accounts for nearly 10% of all health care spending.  Because of this outrageous statistic, Congress, in all its wisdom, has decided they can cash in on our seeming addiction to “fatty” foods and sugary sodas.  The Joint Committee on Taxation calculated that just a 3 cent tax on every 12-ounce can of sugary soda would raise over $51 billion over a decade.  That is averages out to 169,900,000,000  (169.9 BILLON) cans of non-diet soda per year! 

Let’s dig into that figure a little further.  The US population is  304,059,724.  That means that every man, woman, and child averages 566.33 non-diet sodas per year — 1.55 per day.

Enough math and time to get back to the subject at hand.  I do believe you would be hard pressed to find anyone that doesn’t know that a non-diet soda or a double Whopper with Cheese is bad for you.  However, that doesn’t stop people from purchasing them.  Want to hear another amazing statistic?  Well, even if not, here it is anyway.  Of the top ten fast food nations, the US accounts for approximately 66% of all fast food sales.  In 2007 we spent, per person (every man, woman and child), almost $500 on fast food.

I’m going to try to stay as non-political as possible in giving my opinion since this isn’t a political blog.  The people proposing this tax is in Washington are pointing to the obesity “epidemic” and trying to say that the tax is not only an effort to offset the cost of the bloated health care bill they are trying to pass, but it is also meant to address the needs of an overweight/obese nation.  I call B.S. (with a capital B and a capital S).  They see a way of cashing in on the habits and tendencies of the American people in a way that makes the idea seem altruistic when it is really just a way to pacify the critics of the bill that won’t sign on because of the $$ associated with it. 

To be honest, the information on the “sin tax” is vague at the moment.  We don’t know what the Government considers “fatty foods” but it seems the general consensus is that the target will be the fast food restaurants.   Also, what do they consider “fatty”?  Is it caloric content?  Is it the fat content? Carbs?  What is the litmus test?  Most of the fast food chains have minimized or eliminated trans fats.  Heck, you get more trans fats in a serving of margarine than you do in a Big Mac.  There are 1.5 grams of trans fats in a Big Mac while a serving of stick margarine (one tablespoon) has 2.8 grams of trans fats.

The reason the Government is considering this tax is because they know that people will continue to buy fast food and non-diet soda regardless of if the price of a Big Mac meal raises $1.00.  If they truly were concerned about the obesity rate, the tax would be $10 per meal.  They aren’t dumb…they know its a cash cow.

The next question is will a “sin tax” really increase the price or will the fast food restaurants just lower the prices to accommodate the increase?  The prices will level at what the market will bear.  If the tax on top of the current prices results in diminished sales, the prices will lower.  Basic economics are involved.

The whole point is that regardless of the “sin tax” it is still your personal responsibility to choose healthy options.  While the current Administration may try to gain more and more control of your day-to-day life and minimize your need for personal responsibility and accountability, they certainly can’t make your food decisions for you.  They can only attempt to influence them.  Only you can make the difference in your health.