Stay Slim to Save the Planet / The Budget

[Tony]

I saw this on Yahoo earlier today:

[url]http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20090420/twl-life-us-fat-9020220.html[/url]

Given the budget this week too, I was thinking...is it time to start taxing people based on how fat they are? Given the rather parlous state of UK finances, we need to increase our tax-take. However, we also need to levy this in a more progressive, fairer way.

I propose a couple of solutions. Firstly, tax people based directly on their waist-line - i.e. a 32" waist would give a 32% income tax rate. This is probably pretty close to the average required income tax rate and waist-line.

Alternatively, a formula along the lines of tax rate = (BMI x BMI) / 16 would seem fair in the context of the article above. E.g. a skinny person with BMI of 18 would only pay income tax at the rate of 20.25%. A larger person with a BMI of 30 would pay 56.25%.

Reckon this would work? Maybe it will be the surprise announcement on Wednesday????

[Alex S]

STUDENT EXEMPTION PLZ.

[Jon H]

I propose we just eat all the fat people.

[Mike I]

According to the BBC health web-site it could produce unfair results for frail pregnant sportswomen ...

[quote]A BMI measurement is not as accurate if you're an athlete or very muscular (muscle weighs more than fat) as this can push you into a higher BMI category even if you have a healthy level of body fat. It's also not accurate for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or people who are frail.

[kieran]

Apparently recent research seems to show that slightly overweight people live longer than slightly underweight people. Although it doesn't say if they live healthier lives, the theory is that a bit of extra fat in old age is good for you.

[Ian A4size]

marco- i seem to remember "freddie starr ate my hamster"on the front page of the sun a few years ago...... that wasn't news either!

is that really you in the headscarf.......?

[Jon H]

[url=http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/news.php?yr=09&month=apr&story=gen-en-220409]Ryanair plans to introduce Fat Tax[/url]