Junk-food tax calls for national solution, says N.L. minister of health

Health minister and doctor John Haggie says that while he believes a junk-foodtaxdeserves discussion, it is not the province's job to create one.

Haggiesaid during question period on Tuesday that it doesn't make sense for the province to create a junk-foodtax on its own. The proposal has become a hot topic in Newfoundland and Labrador since April's budget.

"It needs to be part of a national picture," Haggie said. "The last thing we need to do is to create extra bureaucracy to collect a tax for a marginal benefit."

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Supporters of a "junk-food" tax say it would increase government revenues, and discourage residents from eating unhealthy food. Many have asked why, in a high-tax budget, additional taxes on sugar and sweets weren't added.

No other jurisdiction in the country collects such a tax, including the federal government. The provincial government says the administrative costs of creating and collecting a junk-food tax are unreasonable.

Newfoundland and Labrador has one of the highest rates of adult obesity in Canada.