Draft UK sugary drinks tax bill published

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The UK Government’s plans for a two-tier tax on sugary drinks have been published, aimed at fighting obesity.

The document has been welcomed by health campaigners, while the soft drinks industry has said it will be ineffective.

It follows a similar move by Belgium, France, Hungary and Mexico.

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The proposals, announced by former Chancellor George Osborne in his budget in March, include a levy of 18 pence per litre on soft drinks with more than five grams of sugar per 100 ml and 24 pence per litre on those with more than eight grams per 100 ml.

If passed, manufacturers will have until April 2018 to reformulate their products to include less sugar if they want to avoid the levy.

Several of the big companies have already increased marketing of sugar-free alternatives like Coke Zero and Irn Bru Xtra.

Gavin Partington, director general of industry body the British Soft Drinks Association, said there was “no evidence” a tax on soft drinks would reduce obesity.

“It is ironic that soft drinks are being singled out for tax when we’ve led the way in reducing sugar intake, down over 17 per cent since 2012,” he said.

“We’re also the only category to have set a 20 per cent calorie reduction target for 2020.”

However Gregor McNie, Cancer Research UK’s senior public affairs manager in Scotland, said recent moves by the industry showed the impact of the tax was already being felt.

“The sugar tax isn’t law yet but it’s already started to work. Companies are reducing the amount of sugar in their drinks and with the details of the tax published today we can expect many more to follow suit. But the measure doesn’t go far enough to tackle the obesity epidemic.

“Carrying too much weight increases the risk of cancer as well as other diseases and, if left unchecked, we run the risk of obesity becoming a crippling burden on society and the NHS.

“The Scottish Government can and must now do more, including tackling the barrage of supermarket multi-buy offers on sugar and fat-laden food and drinks.

“It’s worrying that people with a healthy weight are now in the minority in Scotland. We should be very concerned about the picture this paints for the health of the nation.”

Doctor’s union the BMA also said the sugar tax should only represent the “first step” to tackling obesity.

Dr Paul Darragh, BMA board of science deputy chair, said: “Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges facing our country, with one in five children [in the UK] starting primary school – aged only four or five – overweight or obese.

“While sugary drinks are very high in calories, they are of limited nutritional value. As the largest source of sugar for children, doctors are increasingly concerned about how they contribute towards conditions like diabetes, which can have a devastating impact on individuals and place a huge financial burden on an already overstretched NHS.”