Macedonia Mulls Tax on Fatty Foods

The opposition Social Democrats said on Monday that it was scandalous that the government of a country that ranks among the poorest in Europe was even considering imposing more tax on food in an attempt to combat obesity. 

Quoting poverty figures from the State Statistical Office, the opposition called on Health Minister Nikola Todorov to say whether this 'fat tax' would apply to "over 180,000 people who make it through the day with just 40 denars [just over half a euro], or to more than half a million people [in the country of 2.1 million] who live on the edge of poverty".

The opposition said the minister should focus his attention on more pressing healthcare issues.

"Patients [in the public sector] have to buy their own bandages, patients at the cardiology [clinic] have to buy batteries for Holter monitors, diabetics are being given old generations of insulin and [are treated] with old machines that could kill them," an opposition statement said.

On Sunday, Todorov said the government was seriously mulling the idea of imposing a tax on fatty foods to fight obesity, insisting that on the long run it would reduce the number of medical interventions.

"Don't get me wrong. We have not reached such a decision yet... We want a serious debate about the extensive use of fats, sugar and salt and their impact on health combined with insufficient physical activity [before making a decision]," Todorov told media.

He said that the latest study commissioned by the authorities showed that Macedonians consume greasier and generally more "unhealthy" food than the EU average.

While some commentators on social networks supported the Health Minister's idea, others ridiculed it.

One proposed the formation of a parallel "special task...