Experts Back Soft Drink Tax to Cut Obesity and Diabetes Rates and Dental Problems
Experts from Oxford University have backed a soft drink tax to decrease rates of obesity and diabetes and reduce rates of tooth decay.
Dr Mike Rayner and Dr Oliver Mytton, from the Department of Public Health at the university, said that a 20% tax on soft drinks, which are laden with sugar, could have a massive impact on public health, reducing the number of deaths caused by heart disease by 2,700 every year.
Denmark has already introduced a ‘fat tax’ and France has also brought in a tax on sweetened drinks and David Cameron has stated that he would look into a similar tax as a means of bringing the obesity epidemic under control and improving public health.
Dr Rayner said that rates of obesity have spiralled out of control over the last decade and there are no signs of improvement, as research shows that peoples’ diets are getting worse, not better. Dr Rayner said that obesity was costing lives, as well as wallets, with the NHS coming under increasing pressure.
Dr Rayner has urged the Prime Minister to launch an independent review into the impact of a soft drink tax after Cameron said that he would be interested in a scheme last October.
Dr Rayner said that a tax on sugary drinks would be justified in the same way that other unhealthy products, such as cigarettes and alcohol, are taxed and logic suggests that people are likely to buy healthier alternatives if they are cheaper, especially in times when people are struggling financially.
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