New government 'sugar tax' will have 'tiny' effect on soft drink consumption
Extended soft drinks levy will have ‘tiny’ effect on sugar intake - report.
The expanded soft drinks levy will extend to an extra 12% of drinks sold but have only a "tiny" effect on sugar intake, a think tank has said.
Despite bringing an additional 12% of soft drink litres within the tax, reforms are expected to reduce sugar intake by just 0.3 calories per person per day - compared with 18 calories per day following the initial introduction of the tax, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said.
The soft drinks industry levy, known as the sugar tax, was introduced in April 2018.
Currently, the tax is charged at 19.4p per litre on drinks containing at least 5g of sugar per 100ml, and 25.9p per litre on drinks with 8g or more.
The Government announced plans in the autumn budget to expand the tax from 2028.