In my opinion I wish the government would make unhealthy products like alcohol, cigarettes, sugary drinks, and snacks more expensive because consuming them too much can seriously harm our health. If the prices were higher, maybe people would stop and reconsider how much they’re buying. It wouldn’t be about limiting freedom, but about helping us make better choices by putting a financial cost on the damage these products can do.
Honestly, the way people abuse these things doesn’t make sense anymore. People drink recklessly, smoke excessively, and sugar is in almost everything now. These things might seem small, but over time, they cause big problems.
Before, I used to think it was all about enjoying life. After all, we only have one life to live, but I’ve seen too many people go from enjoyment to regret. Let's take alcohol for example so many lives have been turned upside down by it. Some people drink as if their lives depend on it. And when you ask them why they drink, they’ll say it helps them relax or forget their problems. But those problems are still there after the alcohol is gone.
There’s this man who lives a few streets away. He is well known for drinking. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him okay for two days in a row. People used to joke about how he knows every local bar like the back of his hand. It was almost as if he couldn’t function without a bottle in his hand.
One day, he went to drink as usual, he didn’t make it home. The next morning, people who were passing found him inside the gutter, fast asleep. Imagine the shame of waking up in a dirty, stinking gutter with his face covered in trash, while people stood and looked at him, shaking their heads. Some even took pictures. It was both funny and sad.
What if alcohol wasn’t so cheap? Would he have bought enough to get drunk that night? Maybe not. Maybe he would have gone home with his senses still in place. I’m not saying people won’t still drink or smoke or consume sugar even if they are taxed, but at least many of them would reduce how much they take.
If we really care about our health, we should support policies that help us live better lives. Nobody is stopping anyone from having fun, but there should be limits. Taxing these things heavily will send a strong message. It says, “This thing is dangerous. We won’t stop you, but it’s going to cost you.”
The same way fuel and electricity gets taxed, things that can harm our health should not be left untouched. The extra money collected from the taxes can even be used to improve hospitals, run health awareness campaigns, or sponsor free health checkups. That way, it’s better
My friend will always says discipline is hard when temptation is cheap. You walk past a shop and see a bottle of gin for less than a soft drink. What do you expect? People will buy it. And when they become addicted, they won't even remember how they got there.
We can’t keep living as if actions don’t have consequences. That man in the gutter didn’t plan to end up there. But he made choices that led him to that point. If only things were a bit harder to get, maybe he would have thought twice.
So yes, I strongly believe that taxing unhealthy things is a good move. It might not stop the problem completely, but it will definitely slow it down. And slowing it down is better than doing nothing at all.
This is my response to this episode of hivelearners community prompt of
#HL-W164E03 which the topic is tagged HEALTHY TAX
