EXPERT REACTION: Sugary drink taxes are more common than you think

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-03-30 02:00

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National sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes are now so common around the world that they cover slightly more than half the global population. Researchers from the World Bank comprehensively reviewed where sugary drink taxes are in effect and the different kinds of tax policies used. They write that some of the findings were surprising and countered common perceptions of SSB taxes. For example, a higher proportion of people living in poorer countries were covered by national SSB taxes than in wealthier countries.

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Expert Reaction

These comments have been collated by the Science Media Centre to provide a variety of expert perspectives on this issue. Feel free to use these quotes in your stories. Views expressed are the personal opinions of the experts named. They do not represent the views of the SMC or any other organisation unless specifically stated.

Dr Andrea Teng, Senior Research Fellow, University of Otago, Wellington, comments:

This paper shows how governments responsible for over the half the world’s population have already seen the logic in introducing sugary drinks taxes. Sugary drinks taxes are a rational logical decision for a government interested in improving nutrition and reducing the risk of chronic diseases.

Aotearoa New Zealand has the third highest rate of overweight and obesity in the OECD.

SSB tax is a useful first step to improve our diet and reduce our risk of chronic diseases, like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

New Zealand can go straight for a best practice sugary drinks tax for the best health gains. That means introducing an excise, which targets sugar content, covers all sugary drinks, and increases price by 20% or more.

The paper also reports on the excellent progress on sugary drinks taxes in low- and low-middle-income countries, which is similar to what has been seen in the Pacific region.

For further information see here.

Last updated: 28 Mar 2023 1:22pm

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Declared conflicts of interest None declared.

Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Organisation/s: World Bank Group, Washington, DC (USA)

Funder: This work was funded by the World Bank Group’s Tackling of Non-Communicable Diseases Challenges in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Multi-Donor Trust Fund (Trust Fund No. 072759), supported by Access Accelerated. The funding source had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

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