Category | Themes |
---|---|
The responsibilities of individual and society for obesity, its causes and treatment | • Obesity is a public and private problem • Obesity is a financial (economic) problem |
Negative positions about taxation of sugar sweetened beverages and unhealthy snacks | • Taxation will negatively affect the population because sweet drinks and sweets give people pleasure • The industry lobbyists, the Ministry of Finance and Parliament members will oppose. |
Potential supporters of taxation | • The Government, the Ministry of Finance • Parliament members • The Ministry of Education, education organizations • Parents • Health maintenance organizations, the Ministry of Health, health promoting organizations, health professionals (physicians, nutritionists). • Environmental organizations |
Reference to low socioeconomic populations | • Taxing cause inequality because it affects the poor much more than the rich. |
Alternative strategies to fight obesity | • Regulation and responsibility of the industry • Build a healthier environment • More physical activity • Personal education and responsibility |
Tax rate and its effect on consumption | • Low taxation does not make any consumers change • High taxation is not proportionate |
Public response to the taxation | • The public will oppose, they will never support additional taxation (it is not a popular move) • The public will be indifferent |
Barriers and obstacles to implementing the tax | • Difficulties in defining healthy and unhealthy products • Difficulties in deciding which products to tax. • Higher prices of healthy food • Difficulties in passing the message to the public • Technical and logistic problems with taxation • Enforcement difficulties • Damage to the Industry and danger of worker termination |
Tax complementary activities | • Taxing needs a supporting educational and public promotion and advocacy to follow |
The need for earmarking tax revenue and obstacles to implementation | • The tax revenue will not be used for the tax cause. • Government authorities will oppose. • Learning from the past- the attempt to use the tobacco tax revenue for health cause was a failure. • Opinions against the use of the tax revenue for a specific cause. • The public will support the use of tax revenue for health cause, and there will be less objections to the tax. • Options for the revenue use: health promotion, health education, subsidies for healthy foods. |