Is Denmark's 'Fat Tax' a Good Idea?

Denmark earlier this month became the first country to tax foods with a high saturated fat content.

The tax, which comes out to about $6.25 per pound of saturated fat, was put into effect because the government wanted its citizens to get healthier.

The Washington Post reports on the issue, citing an article from a 2009 New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers found that it takes at least a 1 cent per ounce tax to change behavior and anything less may rake in the revenue, but won’t do much to change behavior.

The tax, reports Time, pushed the price of a pound of cheese from about $6 to $6.50, and it applies to all saturated fats equally – whether in a McDonald’s hamburger or a quart of milk.

About 90% of Danish parliament voted for the tax.

In a similar move, many U.S. states have enacted a soda tax in an effort to promote healthier eating while funding obesity-fighting projects. In 2009, 33 states levied sales taxes on sodas, both nondiet and diet, at an average rate of 5.2 percent. Missouri, Virginia and Utah had the lowest soda sales tax rates at less than 2%.