What is the objective of the new soda tax of July 2018?

A few months ago, soda bottles contained an average of5-6 squares of sugar per can. A worrying average in terms of health but which seemed to alert very few consumers, the taste passing above all. It was then necessary to intervene by the State at the level of taxes. The new soda tax has just been implemented and it has proven to be incredibly effective!

Principle of the new tax on sodas

A tax on sugary drinks already existed before and was aimed at all drinks with added sugars. It was only a question of taxing manufacturers at about 8 cents per litre, without taking into account the exact sugar content. From now on, the sugar tax that came into force on July 1, 2018 is proportional to added sugar. Manufacturers had no choice but to lower the sugar content of their products in order to maintain a stable turnover. Thus, this tax on sodas is already seeing its consequences and it is a success for the fight against obesity. For example, Sprite drastically lowered the proportion of sugar in his drink. We are talking about only one square of sugar per can compared to 3 before this new tax on sodas. We can note, however, that these figures relate only to the France. Indeed, the products differ from country to country, and so do their recipes. This tax on sodas positively concerns low-sugar drinks. Below 10 grams of sugar per liter, drinks will benefit from a minimum tax, i.e. only 3 cents per liter, instead of 8 cents for these same drinks previously.

The purpose of such a tax and its consequences on weight and obesity

Beyond the financial aspect, this July 2018 sugar tax contributes greatly to the fight against obesitytag. Indeed, less sweet drinks, such as flavored waters, will now be taxed very little. This will promote the production of these healthier drinks and especially their purchases. At more competitive prices they will attract more consumers. The new tax on sodas should therefore reduce the number of obese people in the world which, according to obesity-health, could well concern a third of the world’s population in 2030. Thus the weight of each individual could be maintained, or even reduced thanks to this tax on sugary drinks. An insignificant first step certainly, but which could make the consumer look at the label of each drink.