A new study suggests that imposing a fat tax on unhealthy food and drinks could help slim down expanding waistlines.

According to British Medical Journal , more than 60 percent of Americans are overweight. Under the tax, a $4 cheeseburger would cost an extra 80 cents, RTV6’s Stacia Matthews reported.

Some Hoosiers found the proposed fat tax hard to swallow.

“I don’t think we should tax people and the way they run their lives,” one man said.

Others said a fat tax is palatable.

“I’d pay 20 percent. It’s worth it,” one woman said. “I would eat a lot more healthy just to save more money.”

Researchers said a fat tax could drop obesity rates by 3.5 percent and prevent 2,700 heart-related deaths a year. The study also urged subsidies for healthier foods and veggies to make them more affordable.

Dr. Eric Wright, who heads the Department of Public Health at the Indiana University School of Medicine, said the fat tax falls right in line with other consumer products.

“Weve applied tax to alcohol and tobacco and that has definitely shown through very many studies that it actually decreased use. So, the logic has been applied to fatty foods and preliminary evidence in Europe is that it’s very effective,” Wright said.

Report: Fat Tax Could Curb Nations Obesity Problem – Staying Healthy News Story – WRTV Indianapolis