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Should we put a thin subsidy on the policy table in the fight against obesity-?

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The idea of using ?fat taxes? to curb obesity rates has been raised by many. In particular, the idea of taxing sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has received considerable attention in the United States and has recently been discussed by President Obama. Rather less attention has been given to the alternative of ?thin subsidies?, that is, subsidies for the consumption of foods or beverages likely to be associated with reduced incidence of obesity. This commentary examines the case for a subsidy for artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) or ?diet soft drinks?. In this commentary, we outline the evidence on the relationship between health outcomes, most notably obesity, and the consumption of SSBs and ASBs. In the light of the evidence we consider the economic effects of taxing SSBs, and the way in which those effects would be modified by the adoption of the alternative ?thin subsidy? based on subsidising ASBs.

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  • Grace Lordan & John Quiggin, 2011. "Should we put a thin subsidy on the policy table in the fight against obesity-?," Discussion Papers Series 417, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    • Handle: RePEc:qld:uq2004:417
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    1. Amnon Levy, 2011. "An Integrative Model of Rational Diet and Physical Activity: Physiological, Gastronomic and Budgetary Aspects," Economics Working Papers wp11-06, School of Economics, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
    2. Grace Lordan & Debayan Pakrashi, 2015. "Do All Activities “Weigh” Equally? How Different Physical Activities Differ as Predictors of Weight," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 35(11), pages 2069-2086, November.

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