A sugar tax would hit the poor the hardest
13 July 2015
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Calls to introduce a 20% tax on sugar are misguided
Commenting on the BMA calling for the introduction of a 20% tax on sugar, Chris Snowdon, Director of Lifestyle Economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:
“A 20 per cent tax on sugary drinks will cost taxpayers a billion pounds a year and will have less effect on a person’s health than walking up a flight of stairs once a day. These kind of taxes are incredibly inefficient and are particularly damaging to people on low incomes. A tax on fizzy drinks won’t make the poor any healthier, but it will certainly help to ensure they stay poor.”
“Health campaigners should stop targeting one particular ingredient and instead focus their energies on what matters – giving us the best available information about what constitutes a balanced diet and leaving individuals to make their own choice when it comes to what food to eat.”
Notes to editors:
To arrange an interview with an IEA spokesperson, please contact Stephanie Lis, Head of Communications: 07766 221 268.
The mission of the Institute of Economic Affairs is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.
The IEA is a registered educational charity and independent of all political parties.
“A 20 per cent tax on sugary drinks will cost taxpayers a billion pounds a year and will have less effect on a person’s health than walking up a flight of stairs once a day. These kind of taxes are incredibly inefficient and are particularly damaging to people on low incomes. A tax on fizzy drinks won’t make the poor any healthier, but it will certainly help to ensure they stay poor.”
“Health campaigners should stop targeting one particular ingredient and instead focus their energies on what matters – giving us the best available information about what constitutes a balanced diet and leaving individuals to make their own choice when it comes to what food to eat.”
Notes to editors:
To arrange an interview with an IEA spokesperson, please contact Stephanie Lis, Head of Communications: 07766 221 268.
The mission of the Institute of Economic Affairs is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.
The IEA is a registered educational charity and independent of all political parties.
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