Should value-added tax be extended to the major sources of saturated fat in the diet?

摘要

In a response to a proposal to extend value-added tax (VAT) to major sources of saturated fat in the diet, claiming that these foods raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease [see Marshall, British Medical Journal (2000)320, 301], milk and milk products are taken as a specific example of a food group implicated as cholesterol-raising, in an attempt to demonstrate the complexity of the subject. The main sources of saturated fat in the UK diet and their percentage contribution, and measurements of the effects upon cholesterol concentration of replacing these foodstuffs with alternatives containing monounsaturated fats or carbohydrates, are discussed. It is concluded that VAT should not be extended to major sources of saturated fat in the diet.