DUBLIN: The Irish Government will develop proposals for a levy on sugar-sweetened drinks as part of its obesity action plan.
The Government has published “A Healthy Weight for Ireland – Obesity Policy and Action Plan 2016-2025.” According to the Department of Health, 60 percent of adults and one in four children are either overweight or obese, with the cost of adult obesity exceeding EUR1bn (USD1.1bn) a year.
Among the action points outlined in the policy document is a levy on sugar-sweetened drinks. The Department of Health will be responsible for the measure, and will work with the Department of Finance on its development. The timetable given for the policy is “2016.”
The aim is to encourage a reduction in the rates of consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks. The proposal was criticized by Kevin McPartlan, Director of the Irish Beverage Council. He said: “There is no evidence that an additional tax on soft drinks will achieve the desired public health outcomes. Any objective assessment of the international evidence will find sugar taxes have failed to meaningfully tackle the obesity challenge. Introduction in Ireland would penalize Irish consumers and businesses and threaten Irish jobs for no health benefit.”
McPartlan added that companies have invested in the reformulation of their products, and that their capacity to invest further will be reduced if sales revenue “suffers through a discriminatory tax on soft drinks.”
