"Romanians move to tax fast food; Half of population now overweight" by Alison Mutler, Associated Press | March 7, 2010
BUCHAREST, Romania - Modernity requires something different today: the Balkan country is moving to join the health conscious 21st century by proposing taxes on burgers, french fries, soda, and other fast foods with high fat and sugar content.
I just lost my appetite.
“We have to relearn how to eat,’’ said Adrian Streinu Cercel, a Health Ministry official.
PFFFFFT!
Are you going to have to relearn how to s***, too, Romanians?
The ministry says that - in marked contrast to the situation under communism - half of Romania’s 22 million people are overweight.
Translation: People were either healthier under communism or starving.
Of course, when the measure they are using to define fat is flawed, well....
Officials have refused to say how high the taxes would be. But Cercel says authorities expect to generate up to $1.37 billion in new revenues.
No, I'll pass on that burger, fries, and soda, thanks.
If the plan goes through, Romania will be aligning itself with - and even outdoing - other countries looking to crack down on fatty foods and encourage better eating choices.
Oh, yay.
Taiwan also recently floated a fast-food tax, while Denmark and Austria have made artery-clogging trans-fats illegal. Britain, Norway, and Sweden have banned junk food commercials from TV at certain times of the day, while Norway also has long taxed sugar and chocolate.
Interesting -- but it will never happen in AmeriKa, where one in seven of us are starving but obese.
In the United States, first lady Michelle Obama recently unveiled a public awareness campaign called “Let’s Move’’ to fight against childhood obesity, while both New York City and California have gone on the legal offensive by outlawing trans-fats.
Related: Meet First Lady Michelle Obama
But Americans have generally been seen as less willing than Europeans to allow their government to dictate their diets.
Well, THEIR TRACK RECORD ain't been to great on anything, so.... !!!!
Critics of the Romanian proposals agree the government should stick to educating rather than taxing, especially during a recession. Some also criticize the government’s plans for exempting pizzas and kebabs and other potentially high-fat dishes, saying the exclusions showed the measure was a “McFat tax’’ - targeting certain Western fast-food outlets - and not something that was meant to help the public.
No, because THAT is NOT WHAT GOVERNMENTS DO!
If they did, they would not be LYING ALL the TIME!!!!
--more--"
That was the last time I read anything about Romania in my Boston Globe, readers.
And for the record, readers, you should see all the skinny white girls out in the sticks. I find this obesity thing to be a bit much. This is about -- as always -- MORE for the ELITE and LESS for YOU!
