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  3. Could introducing disincentives to fat consumption curb the obesity epidemic? Should a flat tax on food items high ( in excess o

Could introducing disincentives to fat consumption curb the obesity epidemic? Should a flat tax on food items high ( in excess o

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问题     Could introducing disincentives to fat consumption curb the obesity epidemic? Should a flat tax on food items high ( in excess of 20% of the daily requirements) on saturated fats, salt and sugar be implemented? The following are opinions from different sides. Read the excerpts carefully and write your response in about 300 words, in which you should:
    1. summarize briefly the different opinions;
    2. give your comment.
    Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.
Finlesh
    The obesity epidemic is taking an enormous toll on global medical costs. In the US, alone the health care costs attributable to either direct or indirect consequences of obesity have been estimated at $ 147bn. Put into context, this amounts to roughly 9% of the health spending in the US. Thus, it becomes increasingly clear that due to the substantial cost obesity presents to the society, individual choices that might lead to excessive weight gain, can no longer be considered as solely individual in nature. Therefore, the government makes its action legal by introducing a form of a flat tax in order to dissuade the population from becoming obese and cover the increasing societal costs that the obese individuals are responsible for.
Tiffin
    Other than the economic reasons for such behavior, it could be argued that it is also a thing of habit and culture: fast fatty food is quick, accessible and tasty. Thus while a tax might be useful in reducing things such as the use of cigarettes—which are at heart an unnecessary "luxury" and thus more easily affected by the price—eating food, whether junk or not, is necessary. It also seems that the kind of fast fatty food is fulfilling a specific need, a need for a quick, tasty and filling meal, something people consider worth paying good money for.
Altman
    There is ample precedent in the form of other "sin" taxes. A sin tax refers to fees tacked on to popular vices like drinking, gambling and smoking. Given the success achieved with uprooting this societal vice, which on a number of counts is similar to the unhealthy food one, we should employ this tried and true strategy to combat the obesity epidemic.
Wilkinson
    A flat tax infringes on individual choice. Protecting the individual should go no further than the protection against the actions of a third person. For instance, we can all agree that the government should put measures in place to protect us from thieves. But should it also protect us from frivolous spending? Limit us in the number of credit cards we can own? Tell us how we can invest our money?
Burns
    A flat tax levels out the playing field for healthier food. An important reason why people continuously turn to unhealthy fat, sugar and salt laden food, is the simple fact that it’s often cheaper than a more wholesome meal comprised at least in part of fresh produce. Thus it is only reasonable to levy a tax against unhealthy, fatty food in order to give healthy food a fighting chance.
Stracansky
    It hits the most vulnerable part of the society hardest. The practical consequence of an additional tax on what the government considers fatty unhealthy food will disproportionately affect the poorest part of the population, who often turn to such food due to economic constraints. People keep turning to junk food simply because they are poor and cannot afford the more expensive fresh produce.
    Write your response on ANSWER SHEET FOUR.
选项
答案 Should a Flat Tax on Food Items High on Saturated Fats, Salt and Sugar Be Implemented? Overweight and obesity are the fifth leading risk for global deaths. Concerns about the long-term health consequences of being overweight have ignited a debate about flat tax that levies on the food items high on saturated fats, salt and sugar. In fact, the policy is of no validity in that it neglects the hidden need for fast fatty food, without the adequate education of a more significant healthy lifestyle. Those who support the policy propose the legitimate reason of the tax for reducing the public burden of the immense health costs linked to a choice to consume a fat product, the given effectiveness of the tried and true strategy of "sin" tax, and the more competitive edge of healthier food with the more tax cost upon the fat food. Nonetheless, others note that the consumption of fast fatty food is related to habit and culture, what is worse, the levying on fat food could infringe the divine individual choices and struck hardest the groups of lower socioeconomic status. Indeed, policymakers shall take into account the complex validity of the sheer act of taxing as well as the justification. To begin with, the tax on fat food has not paid due respect for the complicated factors beneath the fast fatty food habit, which traditionally is involved with geography, ecosystem and culture. For instance, due to the cold weather, northern dishes in China are relatively oily and fatty, and the use of sauce and flavors tends to be popular. The coerced and compelling measure of collecting duties would avoid the paramount introduction of a healthy lifestyle, which with a growing body of evidence is linked with a balanced and nutritious diet. The significance of the healthy lifestyle with adequate nutrition is proved to be positively correlated with benefits in all walks of life. One good case in point is that recently it has been shown that when primary pupils consume more fatty, salty, sugary meals three times a week, their literacy and numeracy scores dropped by up to 16% compared to the average. All in all, the impetuous levying on fat food could probably fall short of the understanding of the hidden demand for the consumption, yet cease the steps towards getting the message of a more healthy lifestyle across.
解析 本题讨论是否应该对含饱和脂肪、盐和糖分过高的食品征收统一税的问题，命题是社会关注的焦点。题目要求简要概括所给材料中的观点，并发表自己的看法。在具体的写作过程中，考生可以开篇点明社会现象，并提出论点：征收统一税弊大于利；第二段简要阐述正反两种观点；第三段重点阐述自己对这一问题的看法，并说明理由；最后一段总结全文，重申观点。
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