Obesity taxation. The new "fat tax" proposals

Britain is suffering from an obesity surge, with 1 in 3 adults now being classed as obese. Prospective Parliamentary candidate for Haltemprice and Howden Ken Mitchell proposes a solution to the obesity crisis through a new tax.

Ken explains "Being in a constituency bordering the City of Hull I can see for myself what the problems are in one of Britain's fattest cities. The likes of John Prescott are not only aesthetically damaging to our city but are a drain on public services such as the NHS. I originally proposed a more radical solution to this issue however I believe a more humane method can be achieved through the tax system"

Ken's proposals in essence add an additional tax to employees pay packets based upon a bi-annual "weigh in". If an employee is below the healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) maximum of 25 then no additional tax is levied. If however their BMI falls above this an incremental taxation will apply:

BMI 25 to 30 (overweight) 250 pound per annum fat tax

BMI 30 to 40 (obese) 750 pound per annum fat tax

BMI 40 + (morbidly obese) 1500 pound per annum fat tax

If elected Ken will launch the "fat tax" at the start of the 2009 tax year. "This is a very real and effective way to encourage people to shed the pounds and reduce the burden on the NHS. It is a carrot and stick approach, well I suppose pie and stick approach really. Who can argue with such a common sense policy? Give up the fatty treats and get off your backside and you won't pay a penny."

If you want to calculate your BMI and see which fat tax bracket you would fall into you can do so at: http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/magazine/interactive/bmi/index.aspx#