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Chocolate tax

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Post by HiJo Thu Mar 12, 2009 10:36 am

Scottish GPs have voted against a proposal for chocolate to be taxed in the same way as alcohol and cigarettes to tackle increasing levels of obesity.

Dr David Walker, a GP in Lanarkshire, warned that chocolate had lost its status as a "treat" and had become a harmful addition for some people.

However, his motion calling for a tax on chocolate was defeated by two votes at a BMA conference in Clydebank.

He said he was "disappointed" but glad his suggestion had provoked debate.

Speaking after the vote, Dr Walker, who is also a trained food scientist and nutritionist, said: "A little of what you fancy may do you some good, but as nearly one in four people in Scotland are obese a lack of physical activity, an unhealthy diet and larger portion sizes are clearly taking their toll on the health of Scotland.

"Chocolate has lost its status as a special treat and I think that if we charged a tax on it then, over a number of years, we could restore that status."

He had earlier told the BBC news website that obesity was a "mushrooming" problem, and Scotland risked heading the same way as the United States.

He added: "There is an explosion of obesity and the related medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes. I see chocolate as a major player in this, and I think a tax on products containing chocolate could make a real difference."

Dr Walker said that a 225g bag of chocolate sweets contained almost 1,200 calories - almost half the recommended daily calorie intake for a man - and could be eaten incredibly quickly.

He warned that many people were consuming this amount of chocolate on a daily basis, as well as their normal meals, and were unaware of the harm it was doing.

He said: "There is lots of negative publicity about other fast food and junk food but chocolate is sneaking under the radar.

"People have been lulled into a false sense of security about chocolate.

"I had one patient recently who said to me she thought chocolate was good for you. People are being brainwashed into believing this."


I don't care how much tax they put on chocolate, they'll never stop me eating it. We have so few pleasures left. Twisted Evil Laughing
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Post by Lou Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:51 pm

I'm not really a chocolate lover, just every now and then I get the urge for some chocolate.

But they are really trying to turn the country into a nanny state, taxing everything they deem unworthy No
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Post by Sally Fri Mar 13, 2009 3:36 am

I do have a bit of a sweet tooth. I love Easter Very Happy . But I don't understand how a couple of pennies onto the price of a bar of chocolate would stop anyone buying it.
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Post by lulu Fri Mar 13, 2009 2:21 pm

Taxing chocolate isn't going to make the slightest difference to anyone who buys it. Look at ciggies, no matter how expensive they became people always found the money. Maybe the next step will be making people eat chocolate outside in the rain and wind.
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Post by Bob Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:48 pm

lulu wrote:Taxing chocolate isn't going to make the slightest difference to anyone who buys it. Look at ciggies, no matter how expensive they became people always found the money. Maybe the next step will be making people eat chocolate outside in the rain and wind.
Laughing I don't know if it is the same in the UK but workers that smoke in France now aren't allowed to smoke on the premises of a company at all now, even outside. They are required by law to smoke outside the company grounds.
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Post by HiJo Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:52 pm

No, it's not like that here, not yet anyway. You can still see groups of sad people, all shivering in the cold and rain and puffing away frantically outside offices and factories. Twisted Evil

When I visited my auntie in hospital recently, I noticed there were some new signs up saying that smoking is forbidden everywhere on NHS property, even outside the hospital. So no sneaking into the car park for a quick puff.
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Post by Lou Tue Mar 17, 2009 4:39 pm

It actually irritates me when I have to walk through a cloud of smokers hanging about outside pubs and at the back doors of offices. You have to hold your breath and run for it.
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Post by lulu Tue Mar 17, 2009 5:02 pm

I remember visiting my father-in-law at Christies Hospital in Manchester (The Cancer Specialist of the North), it would be about fifteen years ago. There were patients at the entrance having a ciggie, and millions of tab ends on the ground. Sadly, he is no longer with us, having been a smoker since he was a teenager.
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Post by louastra Wed Mar 18, 2009 1:10 am

Lou wrote:It actually irritates me when I have to walk through a cloud of smokers hanging about outside pubs and at the back doors of offices. You have to hold your breath and run for it.


We get that just outside the school gates, get a gaggle of Mothers all stood round in middle of path, not moving.
Big thick cloud you have to walk through, and not one will move. Twisted Evil
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