Price Increases Cure Addictions

Unsurprisingly, I got a few comments about Dr David Walker's suggestion that chocolate should be taxed like alcohol or cigarettes.

Since this last post the UK Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, has come out and pressed for a minimum per unit price on booze "to change Britain's binge-drinking culture". Seems this will protect young and irresponsible heavy drinkers.

To be fair this proposal did not receive support from #10 ... but the fact that it was even tabled speaks volumes about how far out of whack things have become.

At what point will we stop protecting these miscreants and start bringing them to account? They don't care a rat's about the price ... and they don't care who they insult, offend or abuse. And they won't ever take responsibility for the havoc they cause unless we stop holding their hands and excusing their behaviour. Oh, I forgot, they're children (or at least they're under 18)... which means they can't possibly be responsible for anything. It must all be society's fault. What was I thinking?

Or have I missed the point completely and this is all just another clever way to drum up more indirect tax revenue under the guise of social responsibility?

I think I'll have another chocolate Easter Bunny. I'd better wind my neck in.

Obesity And Chocolate Tax

Here's a sign of the times.

Between 2004 and 2008, Fire Departments in England where called out 1784 times ... to help move seriously obese people!

Turns out a special 27 stone (378 lbs) dummy has been custom built for training specific to this purpose. There are also reinforced beds designed to support people weighing up to 42 stone (588 lbs) available to those in the need. This is putting strain on existing resources (I'll bet).

And only yesterday on BBC Breakfast a report covered the opinion of a Scottish doctor who has suggested that the government tax chocolate. The logic behind this is that people would think twice and view chocolate as a "treat" instead of a daily habit. Apparently we have been guzzling 10kg per person, per year ... and that's just in the UK.

Do we really need a tax to get the message that excess chocolate consumption is a destructive habit? I suspect such a move will be about as effective a deterrant as the tax on booze.

But it sure would raise enough to bail out another bank!