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The Forum > General Discussion > Taxing us into good health

Taxing us into good health

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The preferred strategy for Australian governments is to tax the populace into health. The ever rising taxes on cigarettes and alco-pops as well as talk of taxing fast foods bears ample testimony to this mindset.

Unfortunately taxing alcohol, cigarettes and Big Macs leaves out what is arguably the biggest threat to health in Australia. I refer of course to a sedentary life style. Sitting in front of the computer or TV will do us in as efficiently as a Big Mac.

I hereby make the following proposal to remedy the situation.

--On reaching the age of 10 every able-bodied Australia will be fitted with a tamper-proof ankle bracelet containing a “smart” pedometer. It’s a smart pedometer because it can distinguish between walking and merely jostling your legs while sitting still.

--On waking up you will owe the Australian Government $12,000. This reduces by $1 for every step you take during the day. You can walk off the debt by taking 12,000 steps.

--You may bank up to 3,000 steps per day. So if you walk 15,000 steps Monday to Friday you need only 4,500 steps per day over the weekend.

--Banked steps have a lifetime of 30 days. If you have not used them after 30 days you lose them.

--Any deficit is automatically deducted from your bank account at the end of the day. It's a pay as you go system. Or rather, it's a pay as you don't go system.

--You may sell any steps in excess of 15,000 per day to the highest bidder. Wealthy people will be able to hire “personal walkers.” This will help solve unemployment. It also means you can literally walk off your debts.

This should keep healthcare costs down.
Posted by stevenlmeyer, Thursday, 11 August 2011 8:42:17 PM
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Yes Steven... but why improve health merely to experience a life not worth living?

the problems with regulating for walking steps is there would soon be a thriving black market - like there will be in carbon based taxes or carbon emmissions trading schemes.

My wife's uncle was suffering a whole range of age and lifestyle related issues... he was a drinker and a smoker, he had diabetese, heart condition, failing liver and kidneys etc etc..

Apparently he stayed on his "diet" and off the booze and smokes for about 18 months before he decided that life without roast pork, cigars and a fine malt was not worth living.

He died, of course, I never met him but apparently he was happy to go smiling at aged 55.

Conversely, his sister, my mother-in-law is 92, has never smoked, is very active, eats modestly, lives next to the ocean and walks around her plantation, she still takes in orphans and God willing, will reach 100.

But she also lives in a place well beyond the reach of our less-than-benevolent and meddlesome nanny state - I think we will move there when we retire, at least for the winter season
Posted by Col Rouge, Friday, 12 August 2011 12:53:56 AM
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I think you will find that these concerns are already being addressed, evidence being the surge in interactive games aimed at motivating the indoor warriors as they are known.

Now as for taxes, I say, get used to it.

You see you can't spend money twice, or in this governments case, waste it wife.

Wars, boat people, failed projects, they all place enormous stress on the public purse and, given that this purse's only real source of income it taxes, they can only go one way and that's up.

It is a disgrace to think we are in such a state given our mining boom and our so called low unemployment.

Bring on the next election I say.

The libs may not be any better, but they certainly can't be worse.

In any case, labor and the greens simply don't deserve another chance as we have nothing left to gamble with.
Posted by rehctub, Friday, 12 August 2011 6:50:42 AM
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If you want to reduce your taxes make the RBA the lender of first resort.6% of our $1.4 trllion economy is $84 billion.This represents 3% of your productivity + 3% inflation.If Institutions like the US Federal Reserve can create money from nothing and loan it to our banks,then the RBA can do likewise and reduce our debt hence our taxes.

With interest as you all know,the debt soon doubles to $ 168 billion.This potentially could reduce our taxes by $15000 for every working person.People in this county must like being good little debt slaves.
Posted by Arjay, Friday, 12 August 2011 7:24:28 AM
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You can't have the good lifestyle, and pay no tax. You wouldn't have anything to whinge about. Wog boy abbott is back again that should make you happy.
Posted by a597, Friday, 12 August 2011 10:00:12 AM
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dont forget the walkers
wiull need a conjestion tax

or a penalty for stopping to talk
[how dare they hold up fellow walkers]

the walking tax as a tradable comm-oddity
now your talking..

every step in your plan makes cents

jails can have walking mills for the walking tax avoiders
the silence regeme must somehow must be included

so lets make it..the walking talking tax
how about the thinking tax...if you dare think

your busted

now we just gotta sex it up a little
lets have the words health...or public leeches
run past the fukkus group..and see if they swallow it...
and if they are willing to walk that extra mile...lets bring in the smile tax too

your busted
we seen that

do not pass go
[but passing wind is ok]
go directly to jail..[that waas your 3 rd simle]

[3 strikes your out!]
dont try to trade out of your diss credit

the fines hould be double
for them who knew

so we get the new knowing tax
cause who knew..but you

a new peeuw tax?
cause all new taxes stink

what ya think
step for-wards
Posted by one under god, Friday, 12 August 2011 10:33:19 AM
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Sorry Steven, you've got this one wrong mate.

To start with we all ready have a damn sight too much government in our lives.

Secondly we need yet another huge bureaucracy, to administer this like we need a hole in the head.

Thirdly, why should people have to go walking just to please you, & some of your mates.

But mostly, even apart from the cost of the huge bureaucracy, it would be far too costly, if it worked.

Unless we were lucky, Cols wife's uncle probably cost us a few bucks in medical bills as he was dying by choice. Good luck to him. My father, a smoker & drinker, who died not much after 70, would have cost us all a bit too. However combined they would have cost us a pittance compared to my clean living mother, [who rarely walked] who died after her 99Th birthday.

All the operations, the hospital & rehabilitation time, & the in home medical assistance must have cost the tax payer a fortune.

A better idea would be to make it mandatory to smoke 50 a day & drink half a liter of spirits daily from age 40. It would even be cost effective to supply this free. That way, if the medicos are right, a somewhat doubtful proposition anyway, most would die just after retirement, saving the public purse a fortune.
Posted by Hasbeen, Friday, 12 August 2011 11:13:56 AM
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Eureka! Yes I've found it.

Putting Stevens & OUG's posts together, with just a little brilliance of my own, the answer to all the earths problems.

Human power generation.

Yes every town or suburb will have it's own huge treadmill, hooked to a generator. Instead of wastefully wandering around, all that walking can be made to generate all our power, almost carbon free.

I can see it now, almost as clearly as those 20,000 public servants on that wall.

Those Greeks, [before their financial crisis], & Romans knew how to do things, when they powered their galleys.

We could have a big fat brown sweaty man beating out time on a drum, & an even bigger brown sweaty man, with a big whip, to make sure everyone walked fast enough.

Everyone has to put in 2 hours a day, to make sure they stay healthy of course.

So there you are Bob Brown, I've found your low carbon utopia on earth for you, just send the cheques to all 3 of us, I needed help to be so brilliant.

Oh, & I will have to be made head whip hand. Gees, this saving the earth might just become fun after all.
Posted by Hasbeen, Friday, 12 August 2011 11:36:20 AM
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Hasbeen,

I think you've got it!
Posted by stevenlmeyer, Friday, 12 August 2011 11:49:50 AM
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Wowee!, thats a brilliant idea [ why didn't I think of that ] reminds me of the beer ad where the guys are watching TV powered by his mate on a treadmill. What about all those stationary bikes in health spa's; hook up the back rollers to generators and they can pay YOU to join and generate power. As for taxes, Ive been spruking my method since 1968 and have refined it's working to a fine art. Tax everyone on not how MUCH they make, but how FAST they make it.
Posted by pepper, Friday, 12 August 2011 12:43:09 PM
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sorry hassa..no checks
[as the bankers shut down my account as i didnt use it enough]

im not into the money thing
just knowing were forcing people into healthy living
and eternal labours is enough for me..

i like the so called time gain tax as well
[where we tax how fast the income came in
rather than how much trickles in]

it will need to be capped of course
and if the trick-les run into a flood
well let them pay with the stockmarket income
capital gains levie..[or in blood]

were all sick of watching the in crowd
walkaway with bonus...when its payment is our onus

the system needs a good boot up the anus
but by forcing them to walk..means they cant run too far from us

we could also revenue raise with speed camera's
for those tempted to jog or sprint out of the rain

oh what good we can make others do
when we force our will upon others
and shut down their brain

anyhow the evidence is overwelming
[we got a science con-census]

we found the real problem
and have the means to install our
work-able solution...the walk-able solution

think of all the carbon pulution
extra taxes for heavey breathing

and jobs for the new task masters
public servants of course..beating the drum
[cause beating with a whip takes too much energy for the poor sods]

cant beat the ffflexie time
or the pen-sion
Posted by one under god, Friday, 12 August 2011 1:21:50 PM
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The problem is simple.....Tax all things that are bad for you. UOG knows smoking is bad for him, so if he continues with the warnings, TAXING the likes of, can only be a governments incentive to help others that cant help themselves.

LEAP
Posted by Quantumleap, Saturday, 13 August 2011 8:36:39 PM
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Taxing the things that are bad for health stands to reason. Billions a year are spent on people that can not help themselves. Hospitals are full of people that can not resist the odd macas twice a day.
Diabetes all because people can not control intake. Of course these fast food goodies need much more tax imposed upon their carefully designed fast food. The whole fast food caterers need looking into. people need to be protected against them self. The rest of us have to pay for their indulgence.
Posted by a597, Sunday, 14 August 2011 5:35:31 PM
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see....Some want a perfect world.....its not going to happen:)

The very reason we are here, is whats stopping you.

This is new grounds, just like the people befour you.

Ok... I understand......the planet will fail if we continue.

Now Iam at a stand still..............

LEAP
Posted by Quantumleap, Wednesday, 17 August 2011 10:47:22 PM
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The ones that can not control themselves, should have compulsory medical insurance, to stop the clutter of our public hospitals. The worst offenders would be the most likely to forgo medical insurance. They simply have eaten the money.
You can sit in maca's and witness the clientele that flow through the doors. It makes you vomit to see an obese person gorging into a hamburger, chips and coke.
Posted by a597, Thursday, 18 August 2011 4:56:43 PM
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