The UK’s government’s proposal to create a new levy on the soft drinks industry, announced in April of this year, took health campaigners by surprise. Not only was it unexpected, but the government’s proposal was unusual.
Other countries, notably Mexico, have introduced a sales or excise tax on sugary drinks. However, the UK government proposed a levy on soft drinks manufacturers or importers based on the volume of sugary drinks sold. There will be two levels of tax, a higher level on drinks with more than 8g per 100ml, and a lower level on drinks with 5g to 8g per 100ml.
A health impact assessment of the government’s proposed ‘sugar tax’ has recently been published in the Lancet Public Health, and one of the authors, CEDAR’s Dr Oliver Mytton has written for the Fuse Open Science Blog exploring some of the issues and policy implications.
Read the full pieces at http://fuseopenscienceblog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/understanding-health-benefits-of-sugar.html