1. Re-define the Commonwealth Censor's function to give a cultural rating to all movies, TV programmes, computer games and songs, from all sources, by way of a points system. Rate each product according to its culturally destructive aspects, i.e. the more anti-social the more points.
2. Translate the points into a cultural levy (tax) to be applied to that product. If the material is not anti-social there are no points and no levy.
3. Use the funds raised from the anti-culture tax to subsidise the Australian entertainment industry to promote positive-culture productions by Australian artists and companies.

This policy will not ban the material and drive it underground. It only seeks to charge the multi-national marketing machines a heavy premium for the privilege of flogging their culturally destructive material. 

American-dominated junk food industry threatens health

Elizabeth Krantz 17 June 2002

America's obesity epidemic may soon overtake tobacco as the leading cause of preventable deaths, claimed US Surgeon-General David Satcher last December. About 300,000 Americans died each year from illnesses caused or worsened by being overweight, he said.

The US healthcare system is buckling under the strain of a $US117 billion ($A204 billion) obesity bill. This is five times the health cost of tobacco. About 60 per cent of adult Americans are overweight or obese. Most disturbingly, obesity rates among children - prime targets of the fast-food industry - have exploded over the past 15 years.

Recent reports suggest Australia is not far behind in obesity rates. One report stated Australians have collectively gained 22,000 tonnes of fat in the past decade - about the same time as McDonalds have been operating.

Clearly one of the main reasons for the volume of junk food consumed is the massive amount of advertising by the fast-food industry. McDonalds pioneered  TV advertising of fast food in the US in the late 60's and found the magic formula for its global growth.

There is already talk about class actions against purveyors of unhealthy food, similar to the tobacco actions. A more effective way would be to:

• Require labelling of fast food specifying all ingredients, with health warnings on food containing high levels of fat, sugar or other harmful ingredients.
• Place a "fat tax" on food containing high levels of fat or sugar. 

 Time for a paradigm shift on the social impact of advertising

Currently taxpayers subsidise the huge advertising campaigns as all corporate advertising is tax-deductible. It is time for the federal government to assess the social impact of all advertising. Corporations may argue that advertising greases the wheels of the economy but it has gone too far when corporate marketers (dubbed corporate paedophiles by some) target children via children's TV programs.

What is needed is a harm tax to be placed on advertising. For instance, if a company wants to advertise a fast food item containing unhealthy levels of fat, then instead of receiving a tax deduction, the advertising campaign should be taxed at a percentage of the total spent. If the company wishes to advertise on children's TV, the tax should be steeply increased.

The taxes raised should be allocated to promoting the healthy alternative to the advertised product.

WHAT'S IN FAST FOOD?

Spending on advertising has increased four-fold in Asia and five-fold in Latin America in the last decade.- Our Ecological footprint 

It is time to assess the impact of advertising on society and to tax advertising that creates undesirable or deleterious outcomes.

Some of the harmful outcomes:

• Children de-sensitised to violence by powerful influences from movies, TV, songs and computer games that promote violence
• The rapid increase in obesity from eating junk food constantly promoted on TV
• The social and financial strains on parents as children as young as three demanding the TV-promoted  toy, chocolate, clothes or gimmick