Fat Tax

Apple or chocolate bar? The healthy decision could be easier, based on the price.

Lowering the price of healthier foods may encourage people to choose better options and fight obesity, University of Illinois at Chicago researchers found.

Lawmakers are taking notice. New York Governor David Patterson proposed a tax on fattening foods. Patterson later dumped the proposal. Tennessee legislators are also considering adding a "fat tax" to unhealthy foods.

Still, large tax increases would be needed to significantly reduce the amount of obese people, researchers say.

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