20% sugar tax on Sugary Drinks - would it stop you buying them?

gayleygoo

No, I'll take the "hit"!

I prefer sugary squashes and drinks to the kind loaded with artificial sweeteners, and we do buy them (both kinds) for ourselves and the kids for mealtime drinks.

Stuff like coke etc, we do buy as a treat. I'd never buy a single tin or small bottle because of the ridiculous cost anyway, but do occasionally buy the larger bottles or tin multipacks as a treat if they are on offer.

The tax wouldn't bother me, as junk food at the minute is always on offer somewhere and I'm not against a scheme to discourage its consumption. I buy it so rarely it would hardly make much difference to my budget. However I do know people who go through litres of fizzy drink a day, and they would probably still buy it regardless of the price, and go without something else to afford it.

Would it apply to fruit juice too? It's also high in sugar, though has at least a little nutritional content.

antrobus

Tigsteroonie wrote: »

We occasionally buy fizzy, sugary drinks. Adding VAT to the price won't make much difference to our expenditure (when considered as a %age of our annual food cost) so I cannot see it making us less likely to buy.

Littl'un doesn't even like fizzy or sugary drinks. He'll occasionally deign to have sugar-free squash, but it's water most times.

VAT is already charged. "Carbonated drinks such as lemonade, cola and mixers such as tonic and soda" are all standard rated.

The BMA proposal is for an additional 20% tax to be levied on "sugar-sweetened" drinks, carbonated or otherwise.

Gigervamp

I don't drink them myself, but I do get the occasional bottle of coke, Mountain Dew or squash for (adult) son and husband. We try to avoid those with sweeteners as they leave a bitter aftertaste.
An extra tax on them won't make any difference to our household.

MSE_Andrea wrote: »

Also, this is by no means scientific but I've noticed if one of my kids wets the bed at night (rarely) it's sometimes been after drinking lemonade in the afternoon. As I said, not scientific at all, just something I saw a link with on the few occasions they've had lemonade.

At my urology clinic, there's a poster listing food and drink that irritates the bladder. One of those listed is fizzy drinks. They don't have to have caffeine in them to cause irritation.

VestanPance

You can't tax people out of being morons. Taxing sugary drinks is like sticking a plaster over a limb that's been cut off.

If you think adding tax to this will do anything for the health of the nation you're deluded. People don't think about what they need nutritionally. They want simple campaigns to give them an easy fix without having to engage their brain, such as the idiocy of 'five a day' or 'low fat' marketing.

The simple fact is the majority don't exercise enough, be that through some sport or their daily routine/work. Add to that most people vastly over estimate how much they need to eat each day. Throw in the bad habits of daily "treats" and that's why we've got a nation of fatties. They don't want to take responsibility for their own diet and want quick and easy fixes for years of abusing their body.

Maz

I don't buy them now

I don't like fizzy or sugary drinks so this won't affect me. The nearest I get is the occasional soda and lime.

nicegirl

Does this mean that people will pay more for Coke than Diet Coke, does anyone know?

I don't have much of a sweet tooth and so I rarely buy any sweet drinks at all. Very occasionally if it's a hot day I might have a can of diet/sugar free something.

I don't think it will stop people buying them though, if they really like them.

System

Will you have to pay an extra 20% if you want sugar in a coffee in a cafe?

Yolina

I don't buy them now

Maz wrote: »

I don't like fizzy or sugary drinks so this won't affect me.

Same here

System

Almost exactly a year ago I started a thread asking if it was time for a tax on sugar. The general consensus on Discussion Time seemed to be that such a tax would not work.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5016668

jackieblack

I don't buy them now

Maz wrote: »

I don't like fizzy or sugary drinks so this won't affect me.

Yolina wrote: »

Same here

And here too