Denmark has officially repealed its so-called “fat tax” after being on the books for only one year.  Also, the Danish tax ministry has announced that it no longer plans to move forward with a sugar tax.  In the final analysis, butter, ice-cream, and pastries are just too good to allow some pesky tax to modify a whole country’s eating habits.  Some believe that Denmark would have had more success had it been more focused in its efforts to improve public health through taxation of targeted foods.  However, if the failed soda tax in some parts of the United States is any indication, a tax on specific foods might not be popular either.

In other news…

Kasseem Dean, a.k.a. Swizz Beatz, may or may not owe millions of dollars in back taxes.  Many media sources have him owing the state of New York $100,000 (an amount that Dean suggests is equivalent to the cost of a flight from Los Angeles to New York — I assume he’s not prone to flying coach). Those same sources report that he is also burdened with a $2.6 million IRS tax problem. But Dean, in a barrage of double negatives vehemently denies he owes any taxes.  Celebrity tax issues are usually publicized after the IRS files a tax lien and in that regard are, at least in part, based on fact.  Most likely what Dean means is he is disputing the assessment, which he has every right to do.