Growing debate over fat tax (Canada)

Will Canadians be healthier if they pay a few pennies of extra tax on junk food and pop? That's a hot question lately - particularly in Ottawa, where a number of prominent organizations have presented arguments to the standing committee on health this month. They're calling for reforms to Canada's rules on food taxes. Put simply, they want food taxes brought closer in line with Health Canada's recommendations on healthy eating. "Right now, it doesn't make any sense," says Manuel Arango, assistant director of health policy at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. "For instance, one doughnut is taxed but if you buy six, they're not. That's perverse." Other groups that support tax changes to encourage healthier eating habits include the Canadian Medical Association, Centre for Science in the Public Interest and Quebec's Weight Coalition