Obesity in the United Kingdom is the highest in Europe and according to dozens of researchers the rate could increase significantly in the coming years. Obesity is due to an unhealthy lifestyle, too much junk food and lack of activity. Poor health leads to many diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, cancer, etc. Obesity impacts people's standard of living and also affects society at large. Aiming to prevent the rise of obesity, governments have stepped in by introducing a new fat tax, a tax that focuses on foods high in sugar. In this essay I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the fat tax and conclude with my opinion. The term obesity is no longer unknown to everyone and describes conditions of human body fat that create negative effects on health and standard of living. Excess fat may be distributed throughout the body or accumulate around one part. Research from the University of Birmingham concluded that 20% of the population is now obese and it costs £3 billion a year. According to this research, at the age of 16-75, the percentage of overweight is higher than women but women have higher obesity data than men (40% males overweight and 20% obese). An article appearing in the American business magazine Forbes states that the United Kingdom ranks 28th out of 81 in the list of the fattest countries. For the fattest waistline Brittan is 58th. There was a formula called BMI (body mass index) with the purpose of helping people monitor and record their weight. According to the NHS, BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. If your BMI is between 25 and 29 you are considered overweight, between 30 and 40 you are obese and above 40 you are very obese. The NHS is also introducing another method, measuring your mass... half paper... and a tax on fat also comes with some downsides that hit consumers and the economy. A fat tax can confuse customers who think a higher price means high quality and not high fat content. Some customers may be misunderstood and choose the wrong product which is expensive and makes them angry. Further evidence that the government categorizes which foods would be subject to the tax (good fats like salmon are exempt). This phase requires time and money. A fat tax puts lower class people in financial difficulty, if many people are unemployed then it is impossible to pay all the bills and an extra fat tax. In conclusion, obesity is common in modern life, especially in developing countries. Obesity is a condition of excess body fat that causes numerous consequences at an individual and social level. The fat tax is a possible solution to reduce obesity and is endorsed by many professors and specialists.