Meat Eaters Should Be Taxed Like Smokers, Experts Say

A lot of people like to eat meat and do so on a regular basis. The same can be said about smokers. The big difference between these two is that those who consume tobacco are taxed while those who consume burgers are not, at least not in the same way. According to some experts, however, this should change and meat eaters should start getting taxed like smokers.

The new report comes from Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return (FAIRR) Initiative analysts, who note that in order to combat the effects of livestock on climate, consumption and production should be reduced. One of the ways to do this is by basically making it more expensive to eat meat via taxation, as was done on tobacco and other substances.

“Practically every government in the world faces challenges when it comes to balancing their budgets, and an increasingly attractive target for revenue creation is a tax on goods deemed to be unhealthy or damaging to the environment or both. For example, over 180 countries now impose a tax on tobacco, 60 jurisdictions tax carbon and at least 25 tax sugar,” the report reads.

The head of investor engagements with FAIRR, Rosie Wardle spoke with Futurism regarding the concept of taxing meat eaters. Basically, the idea is to encourage people to go for a healthier diet, which the analysts believe is through plant-based options.

“Meat consumption is also one sector where both the issues of environment and health overlap,” Wardle said. “We feel that everyone should have the right to a healthy and nutritious diet and ideally that should help promote a shift towards eating more plant proteins, which is healthier and better for the planet.”

At this point, it’s been proven that the carbon emissions by the livestock industry are almost comparable to that of the fossil fuel industry. However, addressing the two would require vastly different approaches.