Sugar – International Policy Comparison
For some years now, the World Health Organization is promoting the idea of imposing a 20 percent excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in order to reduce consumption and improve public health. Numerous countries have responded to this call and introduced excise taxes on SSBs. Our PIVOT assessment analyzes the sales reduction as well as the tax revenue generated by the SSB excise taxation as a preventive health policy measure. Within the pioneering group of countries, we identified the implementation in the United Kingdom as a best practice example with high tax potential, which could find further international imitators as a blueprint.
Excise Tax Level on Sugary Drinks
(2 liters of Coca-Cola in US Dollars)
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- Purpose: To compare international sugar beverage taxes and their impact on consumption and revenue with deep-dive in the United Kingdom.
- Context: In the fight against NCDs, tobacco faces amongst the highest level of taxation.
Impact Assessment – UK Tax on Sugary Drinks
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- Method: International data on sugar taxes is analysed and the impacts of sugar taxes in the United Kingdom are assessed as a best-case analysis.
- Conclusion: There is high potential for revenue generation among sugar taxes, particularly if similar policies to those in the UK are implemented.
