Why Colombia tax on pizza? It’s reality
Who doesn't want to eat a pizza burger as soon as they hear it? If tax is imposed on junk food including pizza, will you eat less or not? Colombia has imposed a tax on junk food, including pizza & burgers. The tax was imposed to stop the consumption of excessive amounts of saturated fat, salt or sugar. Almost one third of adults in Colombia have high blood pressure. By taxing fast food and reducing consumption, the government is trying to reduce diabetes and heart-related diseases and reduce deaths due to non-communicable diseases. Colombia's central government has imposed an additional 10 percent tax on junk food. Next year it will increase to 15 percent. In 2024, it will increase to 25 percent. The tax will apply to everything from chocolate to jelly and chorizo to cereal. Soft drinks have also been taxed. Depending on the amount of sugar, soda, fruit juice, flavored water and other sugary drinks have been taxed differently.
Denmark also introduced a fat tax in 2011. The tax was imposed on butter milk, cheese, pizza, meat oil and processed foods with more than 2.3 percent saturated fat. But after strong protests from farmers, food companies and consumers, the tax was reversed within a year. Is fast food as dangerous as cigarettes? According to the World Food Program, 9 million people worldwide die of hunger. According to the World Health Organization, about 4 billion people die every year due to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart attack, and hypertension. In other words, more people are dying due to wrong diet and lifestyle than starvation. This is also the reason why Colombia is trying to curb the consumption of fast food by making laws. Trans fats, high amounts of sugar, sodium and saturated fats in junk food increase the risk of fatal diseases. Medical journal published in JAMA Network
According to a research, the risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancer increases in people who eat fast food. According to the Global Burden of Disease report, 11 million people die every year by eating fast food. The number of deaths due to smoking is 8 million every year. In other words, fast food is more dangerous than cigarettes. Fast food is also a risk of depression and anxiety. These fast foods, which people eat according to taste, are as dangerous for us.
