Belt-Tightening: German Legislator Calls For Taxing the Obese
jonathanturley
A conservative German legislator, Marco Wanderwitz, has called for a formal tax on citizens determined to be obese. Wanderwitz insists that obese people are imposing public costs that are unreasonable — akin to polluting industries.
Wanderwitz appears to view most obesity as a deliberative lifestyle choice, stating “I think that it would be sensible if those who deliberately lead unhealthy lives would be held financially accountable for that.” Many would disagree with the assumption, citing studies of genetic predisposition to weight gain and a multi-billion dollar industry supporting difficult and often fruitless weight-loss efforts.
Some school teachers, however, are calling for kids to be weighed every day as part of this crackdown. I can only imagine the emotional toll such weighing would produce for obese children.
