Your can of fizzy pop could be about to get more expensive…
The government looks set to announce a sugar tax in next month’s budget as concerns over obesity in Ireland continue to grow.
According to the Irish Times, Michael Noonan will announce the new tax on sugar-sweetened drinks in next month’s budget but it could be 2018 before it’s implemented.
Concerns over obesity in Ireland have grown considerably in recent years and a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) last year predicted that Ireland would be one of the most obese countries in the world by 2030.
A report from Lancet in April of this year showed that Irish men have the highest body mass index in Europe, this is an important measurement for obesity. Irish women ranked in third on the same report.
Ireland’s plan to introduce a sugar tax mirrors a similar step by the UK who delayed the implementation of their levy until 2018.
There has been some opposition to a potential sugar tax from the Irish Beverage Council who have claimed that such a tax simply won’t work.
IBC Director Kevin McPartlan said recently: “A sugar tax may be populist, but it is simply not supported by evidence. International experience proves beyond any doubt that a sugar tax is singularly ineffective.”
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