We get it, we're fat. But why more taxes?

By now, I'm sure you realize why America is becoming more obese. But why is a federal tax the answer? It's quite simple. Americans buy junk food and fast food for two reasons: because it's cheap, and because it's tasty. If we remove one of these factors from the equation, you are giving consumers less of a motive to purchase junk food and fast food. Raising a federal tax would make the once cheap and easy foods to purchase, just a little more difficult to get our hands on. According to the article Junk Food Tax as a Cure for Obesity, 

"Health related food taxes could improve health. Existing evidence suggests that taxes are likely to shift consumption in the desired direction, although policy makers need to be wary of changes in other important nutrients."

We want to try and change the consumers perception on junk food. To shy consumers away from purchasing these foods high in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, and calories, we need to make consumers believe that it is no longer beneficial to save money and purchase these foods because they will no longer be saving anybody money. Also according to the article Junk Food Tax as a Cure for Obesity, a junk food tax would be a "clever way to alter our behavior around food". Even though junk food advertisements are targeted toward the youth, and the youth is the largest consumer of junk food, the junk food tax targets a much more important target audience, the consumer and the purchaser. It doesn't matter how badly a child wants his Reese's Puffs, because if a mother thinks it's too expensive (due to the tax), she will not buy it. This idea of a junk food tax targets the consumer, the purchaser, and ultimately, the decision maker in just about every American family.

Resources:

Quinn, A. (2012). Junk food tax as a cure for obesity.Smart Planet, Retrieved from http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/rethinking-healthcare/junk-food-tax-as-a-cure-for-obesity/8829