Would A Meat Tax Save Lives, Or Just Empty Pockets?

You read that right.  There are some people who believe that taxing meat could help to save hundreds of thousands of lives.

There is research that suggests that red meat is "probably" carcinogenic.  The World Health Organization said that red meat in processed form like bacon, sausage, and beef jerky could cause cancer.  50 grams of processed meat every day increased the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%.  50 grams is like 4 pieces of bacon, or 1 hot dog.

So how do you get people to stop eating what's bad for them?  According to an article by CNN, some people think that taxing it would not only decrease the consumption but would also cut health care costs.

If you just screamed "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!"  Don't feel bad.  The tax is pretty big.

They're talking about a 163% tax on processed meat like bacon, hot dogs, and deli meats and a 34% tax on unprocessed meat like steaks.

Think of how expensive meat is already, then do the math.

The estimation is that the tax would save around 220,000 lives around the world and about 53,000 yearly right here in the U.S.

It's a tough pill to swallow for two reasons.

1.  I really like meat.  Bacon, steak, hot dogs, you name it.  Protein is good for you.

2.  I have a lot of friends who are in the industry.  Their animals are their lives quite literally.  They work their butts off to provide for their families.  I can't imagine what this will do to their industry.

What do you think?  Would you be for a tax on meat?