An interesting article came from Le Monde today…
Link: My Le Big Mac already costs €5! Now this?!
If you’ve ever been lucky enough to watch French television, you may have noticed peculiar subliminal messages being popped into your head. But no worries, this isn’t the work of greedy corporations, it’s the just the French government trying to watch your weight. By law, all commercials advertising food must have a message at the bottom of the screen telling you to “avoid snacking in between meals” and the ever-so-classic “please eat in moderation”.
Alas!! Is this the secret to why the French never get fat?!
Hardly. Not only are these messages microscopic, obese people DO exist in France, I can assure you.
So France has decided to listen to the old adage “power of the purse”; to stop people from eating foods that are too fatty, too sweet, and too salty, the French government is mulling over a tax on these foods. The tax would show up in the TVA (a.k.a. sales tax) and would be 19.6% of the purchase! Now 19.6% means business! Especially considering that all items not considered fatty would receive a reduced sales tax of 5.5%.
And it wouldn’t just be foods either— beverages would fall under the categories of too fatty, too sweet, and too salty. Of course this means sodas, but I feel the government is going a bit too far with this one:
Alcoholic beverages. Since the tax would apply to all foods and beverages considered “unnecessary” for a healthy diet, it would be incoherent for alcoholic beverages to be excluded. Even Le Monde takes the time to say what’s on your mind right now… wine. The very beverage that is a staple of French culture and the dinner table.
But don’t give the French government too much credit for this “Progressive” legislation— even they are realistic and don’t expect people to change their eating habits to accommodate the tax. For this very reason, the government hasn’t even mentioned promoting healthy eating habits as a goal of the tax. They have blatantly stated that they need more revenue and that it only seems appropriate to tax items that are essentially luxuries.
If you live in France (lucky you!), I wouldn’t start hoarding your junk food anytime soon; the tax won’t be appearing until economic situations brighten. The French government isn’t stupid (…can’t say the same for other governments…) and is waiting for food prices to decrease before imposing any tax on food.
We just only got rid of trans fats in California. Now do you think a tax like this would even be considered in America?
Salut les Mardis maigres…
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