Call for meat tax to save lives

[brexit]

I know who is calling for it but my point is that someone makes a statement like this and you can bet that someone in government will take it up and run with it, they wait for this kind of stuff to come out then decide if can be used to raise tax, inevitably.

Further, those calling for this presumably have nice, well paid jobs at Oxford and don't care too much about rising prices so make ridiculous suggestions like this without wondering about the consequences of their suggestions.

And you talk about getting out more, it's these people who don't live in the real world, the one where many (most?) people are striving to make ends meet, the world where people have to live everyday without the comfort and safety of a well paid job with, presumably, research money to play with.

I get out plenty mate and I see what happens in the real world, I'm not stuck in the artificial world of Oxford's gleaming spires.

Research done by PhD students who get paid around £12k a year and have to supplement their income by teaching and working second jobs such as macdonalds. They do live in the real world trying to make a future for themselves and more importantly trying to undertake a public service by investigating issues that affect all of society.
Yet again another set of uninformed posts that have no concept of how the real world works. Sad really.

[houseboy]

Research done by PhD students who get paid around £12k a year and have to supplement their income by teaching and working second jobs such as macdonalds. They do live in the real world trying to make a future for themselves and more importantly trying to undertake a public service by investigating issues that affect all of society.
Yet again another set of uninformed posts that have no concept of how the real world works. Sad really.

My wife has a degree, one of my daughters has a degree, I am educated to a very high standard but not University. I have the benefit of having lead a varied life and all the experience that brings and I fully understand about student life. I also understand that those self-same students you so bravely defend should not be making ridiculous suggestions that would cause hardship to people whilst being safe in the knowledge that they themselves will have good jobs and many may not even leave education at all, preferring to 'work' in that environment. If they actually know anything about 'society' they should know that many people are struggling and making sweeping suggestions about extra taxation is wrong on every level. I am ferociously opposed to the raising of any cost because of people who cannot control themselves, the majority should never, under ANY circumstances, be punished for the actions of the few.

As far as being 'uninformed' you should perhaps think yourself about comments you make with regard to people without knowing anything about them, especially when you are so very wrong.

[Winstonswhite]

What’s a “very high standard of education” if not university?

[Bosscat]

Lets go real retro...

Window tax.... save money on curtains and brick up your windows... In 1696, England implemented a window tax, taxing houses based on the number of windows they had. That led to many houses having very few windows in order to avoid paying the tax. Eventually this became a health problem and ultimately led to the tax’s repeal in 1851.

Beard Tax ... In 1705, Russian Emperor Peter the Great placed a tax on beards, hoping to force men to adopt the clean-shaven look that was common in Western Europe. Although I am against this as I am a wearer of (well I think so) a rather trim Beard Wheres the bearded emoticon

Soap tax.... During the Middle Ages, European governments placed a tax on soap. It remained in effect for a very long time. Great Britain didn't repeal its soap tax until 1835.

Foreigner tax.... In 1885 Canada created the Chinese Head Tax, which taxed the entry of Chinese immigrants into Canada. The tax lasted until 1923 when a law was passed banning Chinese people from entering Canada altogether with a few exceptions. We could extend that idea to all foreign nationals which would please the Brexteers out there....

Hat tax.... England introduced a tax on hats in 1784. To avoid the tax, hat-makers stopped calling them "hats", leading to a tax on any headgear by 1804. The tax was repealed in 1811.

I would hasten to add .... these are ridiculous real taxes and this is not meant to be a serious post, and is meant in jest before the Humour "Nazi's" start posting hate mail.......

[houseboy]

What’s a “very high standard of education” if not university?

It's a bit complicated but I have a number of qualifications, mainly work related I have to say, but also academic. But while on the subject of University education I was, some years ago, awarded a place at then Salford Uni for a degree in English and Philosophy, which I declined because I didn't fancy spending 3 years skint. A stupid decision on reflection.

[brexit]

This was a modelling exercise "what tax would we have to impose to offset the health issues" not a blanket tax on red meat = fake news.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/artic ... ne.0204139" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Lowbankclaret]

My BMI is 30.4, which makes me obese. I'm 42 years old and only spent one night in hospital in my life. I don't have any medical problems and very, very rarely go to see the doctor. Why should o be taxed?

I am clinically obese too.

I was just trying find a tax as stupid as the one proposed!!

I was going to propose a vegetable tax based on the amount of land they take to grow, you know. Cabbage needs 2 feet square and would have a tax of 100% but a carrot that needs 3 inch square only gets 10% tax . As the land could be used for grass to grow proper food like beef and lamb.

Think I might have been sussed tho

[Bosscat]

I am clinically obese too.

I was just trying find a tax as stupid as the one proposed!!

I was going to propose a vegetable tax based on the amount of land they take to grow, you know. Cabbage needs 2 feet square and would have a tax of 100% but a carrot that needs 3 inch square only gets 10% tax . As the land could be used for grass to grow proper food like beef and lamb.

Think I might have been sussed tho

Think of the damage and global warming by 1 cow (Methane output by said Cow Trumping) by the amount of area needed for 1 cow, as against how many cabbages/carrots in same area.... also against the intake of CO2 by said Carrots and Cabbages whilst growing...

That said think about the damage said cabbages caused by the methane output (Human Trumps caused by eating Cabbage)

Oooooohhhhh no we are all doomed wheres that bottle of 100yr old Malt goodbye cruel world

[Lowbankclaret]

Think of the damage and global warming by 1 cow (Methane output by said Cow Trumping) by the amount of area needed for 1 cow, as against how many cabbages/carrots in same area.... also against the intake of CO2 by said Carrots and Cabbages whilst growing...

That said think about the damage said cabbages caused by the methane output (Human Trumps caused by eating Cabbage)

Oooooohhhhh no we are all doomed wheres that bottle of 100yr old Malt goodbye cruel world

There’s a balance to be had in this world.

We could plant loads fo fruit trees all round Burnley and just go pick some when we need them.

In my old village of Cowpe they have just planted loads of fruit trees on the play park I used to play on.

They could be planted at Rowley, townley park etc.

Todmorden put wooden planters all round town growing herbs for peopl to pick.

That’s what we need more off.

[elwaclaret]

overaged students who have never done an honest days work.

I've just gone back to College at 48 having done quite a few years work

[fatboy47]

I know 3 Oxbridge graduates.

Is it a coincidence that they're all supercilious, condescending knobsacks, all currently operating a few rungs lower on the ladder than they think their academic status warrants?

[Bosscat]

There’s a balance to be had in this world.

We could plant loads fo fruit trees all round Burnley and just go pick some when we need them.

In my old village of Cowpe they have just planted loads of fruit trees on the play park I used to play on.

They could be planted at Rowley, townley park etc.

Todmorden put wooden planters all round town growing herbs for peopl to pick.

That’s what we need more off.

There are a lot of "Herbs" being grown up and down the country...

[dsr]

Researchers at Oxford University have calculated that increasing the cost of red meat by 14% and processed meat by 79% (sausuages for example) would prevent the deaths of 6000 people per year.

Just for clarification, they mean it would delay the deaths of 6,000 people. Not prevent them.

[GodIsADeeJay81]

How many deaths have been delayed/prevented with an increase in taxes on tobacco and alcohol?

Probably not that much

[deanothedino]

Research done by PhD students who get paid around £12k a year and have to supplement their income by teaching and working second jobs such as macdonalds. They do live in the real world trying to make a future for themselves and more importantly trying to undertake a public service by investigating issues that affect all of society.
Yet again another set of uninformed posts that have no concept of how the real world works. Sad really.

Granted I only know PhD students in the engineering field but they all earnt £20k+ tax free.

[PutTheWheelieBinsOut]

This measure would actually kill more than 6,000. Pensioners especially are vulnerable to headlines like this because:

a) they read more newspapers than any other generation, obese young or middle age people the very people they are apparently trying to target won't even probably read this article.

b) a lot of pensioners already live on a tight budget.

c) so many pensioners are undernourished and they shouldn't be cutting out anything in their diet but instead adding to it.

d) red meat is packed full of protein and iron, iron is particularly important for the elderly (two thirds of the population are already deficient in iron). Protein is also a key player in a healthy body; muscle mass, the production of antibodies and the immune system all benefit from a meaty dose of Mr Meat.

[Hipper]

Excellent plan then.

The cost of supporting pensioners - pensions, health, free bus passes etc. - could be saved.

If older people die it allows more housing, jobs, less crowded public transport etc. to be available to younger people.

It would be the death knell for newspapers, High Streets, the Post Office, Coronation Street.....

It would increase employment opportunities in the undertaking industry.

We could stay in the EU.

[Hipper]

d) red meat is packed full of protein and iron, iron is particularly important for the elderly (two thirds of the population are already deficient in iron). Protein is also a key player in a healthy body; muscle mass, the production of antibodies and the immune system all benefit from a meaty dose of Mr Meat.

I understand a woman in Australia has been experimenting with adding iron to strawberries to deal with this issue. The experiments haven't gone well so far.