Centre Party councillor seeks obesity tax
A municipal councillor for the Centre Party in Uppsala in eastern Sweden has proposed the introduction of a tax linked to a person's (over)weight.
Centre Party councillor Stefan Hanna has argued in a blog post that those who let their weight spiral place higher demands on public services than those who stay in trim and should thus pay a greater share of the costs.
"If it costs more to live unhealthily the collective society doesn't say NO! The society says do as you want, but if you elect to live unwisely then you have to pay extra so that we can fund any additional costs that you will cost society, if you get older," Hanna wrote on his blog.
He continued to argue that obesity "in combination with an ageing population can't be financed if Swedes in the future want to enjoy the current standard of (public) services."
Stefan Hanna, whose view on a new obesity tax is reported by local daily Uppsala Nya Tidning to lack support among Centre Party colleagues, does not specify the level of the tax, how it should be levied, nor whether it should be applied progressively.
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Centre Party councillor Stefan Hanna has argued in a blog post that those who let their weight spiral place higher demands on public services than those who stay in trim and should thus pay a greater share of the costs.
"If it costs more to live unhealthily the collective society doesn't say NO! The society says do as you want, but if you elect to live unwisely then you have to pay extra so that we can fund any additional costs that you will cost society, if you get older," Hanna wrote on his blog.
He continued to argue that obesity "in combination with an ageing population can't be financed if Swedes in the future want to enjoy the current standard of (public) services."
Stefan Hanna, whose view on a new obesity tax is reported by local daily Uppsala Nya Tidning to lack support among Centre Party colleagues, does not specify the level of the tax, how it should be levied, nor whether it should be applied progressively.
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