The British Medical Association has backed moves for a 20% tax on soft drinks would be a ‘useful first step’ to tackling the UK’s obesity crisis.
In a report title Food For Thought, the BMA argues that poor diet costs the NHS around £6bn per year – more than smoking or alcohol are estimated to cost the NHS.
In the report, Professor Sheila the Baroness Hollins, acknowledged that reports of its nature elicit cries of ‘nanny state’, and that the view that Governments have no place in telling people how to live their lives needed challenged.
The report says: “While taxing a wide range of products is an important long-term goal, a useful first step would be to implement a duty on sugar-sweetened beverages (all non-alcoholic water based beverages with added sugar, including sugar-sweetened soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit drink, sports drinks and fruit-juice concentrates) by increasing the price by at least 20%.”
Baroness Hollins said: “We know from experiences in other countries that taxation on unhealthy food and drinks can improve health outcomes, and the strongest evidence of effectiveness is for a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages.
This view was challenged by Gavin Partington, Director General of the British Soft Drinks Association, who said evidence from other countries had shown this type of tax doesn’t work.
He said: “The soft drinks industry recognises it has a role to play in supporting public health objectives and welcomes steps to encourage a balanced diet and active lifestyle but targeting single ingredients or products is misguided and unlikely to prove effective.”
