From Tine Thorup
Marion Nestle writes that the Danish fat tax, now being dropped after a year, brought in $216 million and that “Danes will now face higher income taxes to make up for the loss of the fat tax” (24 November, p 28). One of the reasons for the unpopularity of the fat tax was that hikes in product taxes hit the population indiscriminately, in this case possibly hitting low-income households harder.
Had the fat tax not been introduced after a decade of increases in product taxes amidst income tax reductions – some would argue benefiting high income earners most – it might have been more palatable.
Copenhagen, Denmark
