Keralites give mixed bag to govt.'s move to impose tax on 'junk food'

Kerala, July 9 (ANI): The Kerala Government's move to impose 14.5 percent tax on pizzas, burgers and other junk foods has evoked mixed response from Keralites, with some of them giving their thumbs up, while others opposing it. Nutritionist and food therapist Dr Lalitha Appukuttan, who welcomed the 'fat tax', said, "Since long, I have been longing for such a bill (Act), which is now imposed by the Kerala Government. It's always a welcome in India as far as our health is concerned, as nowadays we are going through very serious situation, since so many problems are arising out of all these bad fats." The government thinks that it would discourage the people from eating junk foods by imposing such taxes, but it hardly matters for some of them, said Shahbaaz. "I don't believe in such a concept. If you take a look at alcohol, the government has increased tax on that, but the consumption has not gone down anyway," Shahbaaz added. "Branded places will be impacted, because it is very rare and it's in Kerala. So, people don't have that much money to buy. So, they have to adjust and that would be a big problem to us," another person Abhijit told ANI. "If you impose it like a blanket thing, like on all brands, it doesn't make sense. Primarily, because some of them are healthy, like if you look at subway, it's a healthy food, but if you look at KFC or maybe Pizza Hut or McDonalds, they are fried ones and maybe it's not very healthy for children, if you have them frequently," said another resident, Shriniv. After the alcohol ban, the Kerala Government has proposed a 14.5 percent 'fat tax' on burgers, pizzas and other junk foods served by branded restaurants. The Kerala Government has also levied a five percent tax on packaged atta, maida, suji, rava and basmati rice. (ANI)