Korea remains opposed to introducing the so-called fat tax, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday, saying that such a move is “not desirable” as it could ramp up food prices and aggravate overall inflation.

“It is not desirable to introduce a new tax on foods given our own situations,” the ministry said in a report that analyzes policies of major countries in connection with obesity problems.

Korea has a relatively low level of obesity among its citizens and an additional tax on foods could hurt low-income earners more than others by increasing food prices, the ministry explained.

The comments come as many Western countries are considering introducing fat taxes imposed on what is regarded as unhealthy foods.

Denmark started to impose a tax on such foods as butter and oil for the first time in the world. Hungary is also levying such a tax on soft drinks, pastries and salty snacks.

The move is aimed not just at tackling obesity problems by discouraging consumption of junk foods but also helping raise revenue for many debt-ridden countries, including European economies, experts said. 

(Yonhap News)