Status: 18.12.2023, 19:07 PM
By: Stella Henrich
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Taxes have a steering function. For example, a sugar tax would not only prevent diseases, but would also flush millions of euros into the state coffers.
Kassel – Citizens do not like to be dictated to by the state as to which food is on the table. This has already been shown by the former discussion about the planned Veggie Day in canteens or the eventual proposal for a price surcharge on meat and other animal products.
Now it could be time for soft drinks. "A soft drink tax in Germany would have a significant positive impact," explained the research team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), which conducted a study on the sugar tax on soft drinks together with the University of Liverpool. The study was first published in the journal Plos Medicine. According to the study, this could not only prevent or reduce the risk of numerous diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and tooth decay. The state could save many billions of euros over the next 20 years.
Tax on soft drinks could ease the burden on the healthcare system
A first important finding of the study: There would be fewer cases of obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Above all, the expected effects in type 2 diabetes are large, explained the co-author of the study, Karl Emmert-Fees. "According to our models, up to 20,244 people would develop type 100 diabetes later or not at all within the next 2 years as a result of taxation."
With a tax on sugary drinks, fewer treatments would be necessary, and the costs of sick days and incapacity for work would also be reduced. For the period 2023 to 2043, the scientists expect savings of 16 billion euros – of which about four billion will be in health costs – with a staggered manufacturer levy on soft drinks. With a 20 percent tax, it would still be a total of about 9.5 billion euros.
Coke drinkers beware: A sugar tax is to come to relieve the burden on the health system. (Symbolic image) © Gelhot/imago
Even though soft drinks such as cola and fanta are said to be harmful to the intestines, the soft drinks are still popular in this country. According to the Statista database, every German drank almost 2022 liters of soft drinks in 122. Coke and cola mixed drinks as well as lemonades were the most popular – an increase of 2.7 percent compared to the previous year.
The top soft drink manufacturers in Germany:
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Source: Lebensmittelzeitung, manufacturer ranking by domestic sales of non-alcoholic soft drinks in 2021
Tax on soft drinks – the levy already exists in the UK
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a "special tax of at least 20 percent" on sugary drinks. Several countries have already introduced such a "sugar tax" – for example, Great Britain. Here, beverages containing more than five grams of added sugar per capita are taxed, reports the Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism (StMELF). France, Belgium and Hungary also impose additional taxes on beverages with added sugar, according to the report. In France, the tax had caused considerable annoyance at Coca-Cola.
WHO recommendation
The World Health Organization recommends consuming only five percent of your daily energy requirement in the form of free sugars. This equates to about 25 grams or six teaspoons of sugar per day. Free sugars are sugars added to food and beverages, as well as sugars found in honey and fruit juices. Sugar from fruits, vegetables and milk is not included. On average, Germans consume around 36 kilograms of sugar per capita per year, about four times the recommended total intake.
Source: StMELF
However, there is still little knowledge about the actual impact of such taxes on the goal of reducing obesity and diabetes, the StMELF continues. The consumer organization Foodwatch, on the other hand, is of the opinion that "a soda tax works," reports the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ). This has been shown by experience in the UK, where manufacturers have drastically reduced the sugar content in their drinks and the consumption of sodas has fallen.
Tax on soft drinks: There are two types of sugar taxes
However, according to the research team from TUM and the University of Liverpool, how the tax is collected makes a difference. According to international studies, if the levy is due regardless of the sugar content, this would lead to a reduced demand for soft drinks. If, however, the tax were based on the amount of sugar, the recipes of the beverages would be changed.
According to the scientists, a 20 percent surcharge on soft drink prices would reduce sugar consumption by one gram per day per person. The effect is even stronger if the sugar in the recipes is reduced by 30 percent. This would reduce per capita consumption in this country by 2.3 grams per day.
Coca-Cola is currently testing what sugar-free soft drinks of the future might taste like in selected markets in the USA, Canada, Europe, China and Africa. (sthe)