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Denmark levies world's first fat tax
Yahoo ^

Posted on 10/01/2011 11:16:36 AM PDT by Sub-Driver

Denmark levies world's first fat tax

AFPBy Julian Isherwood | AFP – 17 hrs ago

Denmark on Saturday became the first country in the world to impose a fat tax after a week in which consumers hoarded butter, pizza, meat and milk to avoid the immediate effects.

"We have had to stock up with tonnes of butter and margarine in order to be able to supply outlets," Soeren Joergensen of Arla Distribution told AFP.

The new tax, designed by Denmark’s outgoing government as a health issue to limit the population’s intake of fatty foods, will add 16 kroner ($2.87, 2.15 euros) per kilo (2.2 pounds) of saturated fats in a product.

This means an increase in the price of a pack of 250 grammes of butter, for example, by 2.20 kroner to more than 18 kroner.

"It has been a chaotic week with a lot of empty shelves. People have been filling their freezers," Christian Jensen of an independent local Copenhagen supermarket told AFP.

"But actually I don’t think the tax will make that much difference. If people want to buy a cake, they will buy it. But right now they’re saving money," he added.

The new tax will be levied on all products including saturated fats -- from butter and milk to pizzas, oils, meats and pre-cooked foods -- in a costing system that Denmark’s Confederation of Industries (DI) says is a bureaucratic nightmare for producers and outlets.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
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To: Sub-Driver
The first? I thought that Hungary did it before Denmark.
21 posted on 10/01/2011 11:49:49 AM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: Sub-Driver
Sugar gets off scot free?

Must have sweet-talked the politicians ...

22 posted on 10/01/2011 11:51:28 AM PDT by x
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To: HiTech RedNeck

“Gay tax sure would raise a lot of money....”

It would be to cover their additional lifestyle cost, on their health system - not to punish them. Seems rational to me.


23 posted on 10/01/2011 11:52:24 AM PDT by BobL (PLEASE READ: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2657811/posts)
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To: Sub-Driver

Obama would loooooooove to do something like this here if white people were the only porkers waddling around the streets of America.


24 posted on 10/01/2011 11:52:32 AM PDT by LibWhacker
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To: Sub-Driver

This is racism against breakfast.


25 posted on 10/01/2011 11:54:32 AM PDT by Dallas59 (President Robert Gibbs 2009-2011)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

Thanks Sub-Driver.
...after a week in which consumers hoarded butter, pizza, meat and milk to avoid the immediate effects...

26 posted on 10/01/2011 12:02:41 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Sub-Driver

There has to be an exemption for Muslims or the cowards would not dare do this.


27 posted on 10/01/2011 12:02:55 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum ("Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them." --Ronald Reagan)
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To: Sub-Driver

Any idea how frigging expensive Denmark is before the fat tax? Insanely so. A McDonald’s “value” meal is about $15. How in the hell can you get fat under those conditions?


28 posted on 10/01/2011 12:07:24 PM PDT by riri
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To: Sub-Driver

First they tax fat foods, then they will tax fat people.


29 posted on 10/01/2011 12:13:06 PM PDT by grumpygresh (Democrats delenda est)
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To: Sub-Driver

Why not fine fat people? Start a TSA of health security, forcing everyone to weigh whenever they walk or drive somewhere, and fine them for every extra pound Call it the “war on fat.” That way it will never end. Government and law enforcement can be expanded to prosecute it, and taxes can be raised to pay for the growth. People are too stupid to know that the fat government will hurt them far worse than the fat citizens.


30 posted on 10/01/2011 12:14:18 PM PDT by pallis
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To: Sub-Driver

since the rulers know what is best for you they should decide what you eat /s


31 posted on 10/01/2011 12:27:40 PM PDT by paul51 (11 September 2001 - Never forget)
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To: Sub-Driver

Moochelle too


32 posted on 10/01/2011 12:33:55 PM PDT by tutstar
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To: paul51

How about we remove ALL the fatty food and drink from the Danish elites and send it to the starving in Africa first? Isn’t that the fair thing?

No, because the elites cannot be inconvenienced; only the ignorant masses must obey their rulers. Yeah, that’s it.


33 posted on 10/01/2011 12:35:13 PM PDT by MasterGunner01 (To err is human; to forgive is not our policy. -- SEAL Team SIX)
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To: Sub-Driver
Proof that health-Nazis are anti-science bigots.

Recent studies show that natural saturated fats aren't bad for you -- they might even be good for you.


34 posted on 10/01/2011 12:48:58 PM PDT by USFRIENDINVICTORIA
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To: USFRIENDINVICTORIA; Sub-Driver

Here’s the link that was supposed to be in my previous post:

http://www.thatsfit.ca/2010/10/29/saturated-fat-good-for-heart-health/


35 posted on 10/01/2011 12:52:44 PM PDT by USFRIENDINVICTORIA
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To: pallis

maybe they wont disband ATF just change the name to Alcohol Tobacco and Fat....take the heat off fast and furious firearms


36 posted on 10/01/2011 12:58:00 PM PDT by rolling_stone
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To: Sub-Driver

How hard is it to make butter and cheese in a dairy state such as Denmark? We made it all the time when I was a kid. They’ll have to punish the source pusher: The Cow.


37 posted on 10/01/2011 2:17:44 PM PDT by Zuben Elgenubi
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To: grumpygresh

First they tax fat foods, then they will tax fat people.

will fat people become moneymaking opportunities?

One fat little arm will be worth big bucks.


38 posted on 10/01/2011 2:30:21 PM PDT by Chickensoup (In the 20th century 200 million people were killed by their own governments.)
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