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Sugary drink tax

Soda pop taxes are used in some jurisdictions to decrease consumption.

A sugary drink tax, soda tax, or sweetened beverage tax (SBT)[1][2][3] is a tax or surcharge (food-related fiscal policy) designed to reduce consumption of sweetened beverages by making them more expensive to purchase. Drinks covered under a soda tax often include carbonated soft drinks, sports drinks and energy drinks.[4] Fruit juices without added sugar are usually excluded, despite similar sugar content, though there is some debate on including them.[5][6]

This policy intervention is an effort to decrease obesity and the health impacts related to being overweight. The tax is a matter of public debate in many countries and beverage producers like Coca-Cola often oppose it. Advocates such as national medical associations and the World Health Organization promote the tax as an example of a Pigouvian tax, aimed to discourage unhealthy diets and offset the growing economic costs of obesity.[7]

  1. ^ Turner, Nick. "Seattle's Sweetened Beverage Tax producing healthier than expected returns". Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Tax on Sweetened Beverages Reduced Sales Volume in Chicago". Physician's Weekly. 25 February 2020. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  3. ^ Macz, Brandon. "Mayor, councilmembers in food fight over sweetened beverage tax". Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Consumption of Sports Drinks by Kids and Adolescents" (PDF). Healthy Eating Research. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 June 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  5. ^ Kaminska, Izabella (18 March 2016). "Robert Lustig: godfather of the sugar tax". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 19 February 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference sa-tax-juice was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Tavernise, Sabrina (11 October 2016). "W.H.O. urges Tax on Sugary Drinks to Fight Obesity". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.

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