In April 2018 the UK Government introduced the infamous Sugar Tax Bill. It was one of Cameron’s main public health policy initiatives, and the new Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to scrap it.
What Is The Sugar Tax?
The bill was introduced in an effort to force companies to rethink their sugar levels in drinks, which admittedly have been very high. 39 grams of sugar, which is 39 teaspoons, in a can of Coca-Cola is high, especially for those under the age of 15. The sugar tax imposed a charge 18p per litre for sugary drinks that contained 5-8 grams of sugar per 100ml, rising to 24p for drinks with 8 grams or more per 100ml.
How Did It Go Down?
The sugar tax bill was announced in 2016, and since then more than half of all drinks manufacturers have slashed the sugar content of their beverages. This amounts to 45 million kilos of sugar not consumed by the UK public every year. An independent study by the University of Otago carried out a meta analysis on four recent studies on sugar tax findings. They found that a 10% tax on sugary drinks equated to a 10% reduction in consumption.
Is the Tax Regressive?
There have been concerns that the sugar tax is regressive in its nature, meaning that it hits the poorer families the worst. However experts say that this is only the case is you ignore the costs on people’s health. Strangely enough Boris Johnson actually voiced this concern in 2015 when proposals were being made. He argued that poorer people were most affected by obesity, and that the UK should lead the way on sugar taxes. Now here he is as Prime Minister trying to reverse all of his hard work.
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