Sir — This refers to the editorial, “Nanny’s frivolous food tax” (July 13). It is revealing that Kerala’s junk food tax can be in the nature of a similar tax in Bihar which is used to compensate the loss of revenues from the liquor sale ban! Moreover, it is not proper on the former’s part to exclude equally bad or worse items like beef fry and the maida-laden parotta from the list of taxable junk foods.
Whether for good or bad, such taxes serve to curb the consumption of unhealthy food, especially among the youth. The State should use the tax money to promote organic farming, as has been decided recently, and market the produce which will benefit both the farmer as well as the consumer.