Obesity Tax

Obesity Tax
What Is Obesity?
Dangers of Obesity
Diet Against Obesity
Medical Nutrition Therapy
What Is Obesity Tax?
Obesity Tax Situation in Our Country

Did you know that being obese, what you eat, your weight problems, and how long you receive inpatient hospital treatment with certain medications are not only your concern?

What Is Obesity?

First, let's look at what obesity means. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines obesity as "the accumulation of excessive fat in the body to an extent that impairs health."

So, obesity is not just being 'overweight' as commonly believed. Parameters like fat percentage are also considered, and it is a complex disease. Organs in the body accumulate fat, leading to various diseases.

Dangers of Obesity

Obesity not only leads to an increase in morbidity and mortality due to health problems it causes but also poses significant individual and societal problems. It results in a decrease in the workforce and an increase in health expenditures, making it a significant issue.

Diet Against Obesity

Through the reduction of complications with diet, or 'medical nutrition therapy,' individuals can maintain healthier periods and improve their quality of life. This, in turn, leads to a decrease in overall health expenses, including diagnostic and treatment costs, and hospitalization usage.

Medical Nutrition Therapy

In other words, by treating obesity with "medical nutrition therapy," we not only achieve the desired healthy body but also prevent much larger and complex diseases. This can affect hospitalization frequency and duration, hospital expenses, and indirectly influence the health and economic policies of governments. Therefore, as obesity rates increase in countries, hospital expenses rise, and being obese becomes more than just an individual concern.

What Is Obesity Tax?

Taxing the consumption of products that are high in calories, fat, sugar, and low in vitamins and minerals with the aim of reducing their consumption forms the general definition of an obesity tax. In recent years, obesity taxes have become a popular tool in the fight against obesity for many countries.

In the United States, obesity taxes have become quite popular recently to reduce obesity rates and decrease the consumption of sugary beverages. In this context, referendums have been held in many states to vote on taxing sugary beverages. Accordingly, the sugary beverage tax was approved with a 61% yes vote in Berkeley in 2014, 61% in San Francisco in 2016, 60% in Oakland, 70% in Albany, and 54% in Boulder.

Berkeley being the first state to implement the tax, there is more literature on studies related to Berkeley. A study by Falbe et al. (2016: 1865) found that the obesity tax, which resulted in a 4% increase in prices for sugary beverages in Berkeley, led to a 20% decrease in sales.

Obesity Tax Situation in Our Country

Occasionally, there are reports in the media in Turkey regarding an obesity tax.

Mehmet Şimşek, who served as the Minister of Finance between 2009 and 2015, mentioned in the 5th Izmir Economics Congress in 2013 that a special consumption tax could be imposed on products triggering obesity and increasing health expenditures. However, in response to questions about the introduction of an obesity tax after this statement, he emphasized that it was only in the ideation stage and that there was no such study on the agenda yet.

In the 2022 obesity report published by the World Health Organization, Turkey ranked first among European countries. In summary, there is a possibility that a chocolate you buy might be more expensive to prevent you from ending up in the hospital.

The point I want to emphasize here is that "what we eat is not only our concern."

Take care of yourself; there is only one of you.