The need to control rising instances of diseases attribute to excess sugar consumption has prompted a new development of levy on sugary soft drinks known as a sugar tax. Notably, the proponents of the levy believe that its imposition will address increasing cases of obesity by encouraging the manufactures to change the formula of the sugar-sweetened beverages. However, the opponents of sugar tax believe that it will push sales into other countries, and there is little evidence to assert its effectiveness. The main reason for its introduction is to lower the consumption of excess sweetened beverages by charging fine from sweetened drinks. Hence, the government of Australia should implement this particular tax to address incidences of obesity and diabetes.
Reasons Why Australia Should Introduce the Sugar Tax
Sugar consumption has become a severe problem in Australia as it has resulted in the rise of major chronic diseases such as obesity. Currently, the leading sources of sugars are energy drinks, sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages, coffee, and flavoured milk (Torre et al., 2016). Both the children and adults consume these sugars prompting the concern from health practitioners about the side effects of high sugar intake. Following the recommendation suggested by the country’s medical team on the implementation of sugar levy charged on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), the government should consider implementing it for health reasons. Its imposition will have the following effects. It will compel the manufactures of these drinks to reformulate and make healthier products. Also, it will have a significant influence on the purchasing power of consumers; when the prices of sugary drinks increase, the residents will switch to healthy options such as water (Allen & Allen, 2020). Moreover, the introduction of this levy will promote the message that the government is highly concerned by the public health of its citizens.
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Countries That Have Introduced a Sugar Tax, and Its Successful Impact
The need for sugar tax increasingly gained attention in different countries. About 40 states had implemented it by the year 2019, and they include the UK, Mexico, Philippines, and United Arab Emirates (“Countries That Have Implemented Taxes on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages,” 2019). These countries have noted the correlation between the sugar tax and the intake of SSBs. Research that was conducted in the United Kingdom indicated a significant decline in the consumption of sugar after the levy came into effect (Scarborough et al., 2020). The results assert that the imposed charge has been effective in reducing excessive sugar consumption.
Potential Health Benefits of Implementing the Tax
Overconsumption of sweetened products has contributed to the rising cases of chronic diseases. Imposing a levy to the drinks will be an efficient measure in improving the health outcomes of people, as its introduction will inflate prices of sugary drinks leading to reduced consumption. Implementing the levy can also result in the following health benefits: it will reduce the cases of obesity, especially in children, and diseases that are attributed to obesity such as cancers, which have increased in recent years (Veerman et al., 2016). Besides, the sugar tax will control rising numbers of unhealthy weight gain. Importantly, it will solve the problem of type 2 diabetes that is mainly caused by regular consumption of sugary drinks. Besides, the risk of cardiovascular diseases will be significantly reduced when people switch to healthier options.
Potential Impacts of a Sugar Tax on Australian Healthcare Systems
The fundamental goal of a country’s healthcare system is to achieve a better quality of life through prevention, treatment, diagnosis, and recovery. If Australia adopts the sugar tax, the healthcare system will report reduced cases of lifestyle diseases caused by sugar intake. Hence, the healthcare system will incur reduced financial constraints since the money that would have been allocated in hiring health practitioners, purchase resources, and deliver care to patients with chronic disease would be significantly reduced (Veerman et al., 2016). Besides, the fine obtained as a result of taxation can be channelled to hospitals to enhance the health of citizens, improve diet, reduce health care costs, and support low-income earners who cannot afford quality health care. Notably, cases of mortality and stroke linked to chronic diseases will be significantly reduced due to low sugar intake. Lifetime disability that results from diabetes and obesity will also be prevented. Based on the potential positive impacts of the charge on the healthcare system, the country should consider implementing it.
Potential Negative Consequences of Introducing the Levy
The charge is indeed imposed to encourage individuals to live healthier lives. However, the levy may have adverse effects on the Australian economy. For instance, the tax idea may not be very successful since it has an unpredictable impact on consumer behaviour. Besides, taxing sweetened beverages may result in losses of jobs due to the fall in sugar-sweetened beverages consumption. Moreover, the sugar tax is regressive, and therefore it would be unfair to the low-income earners as it takes a higher percentage of money from them (Zeng, 2019). The tax may only affect the consumers as the companies may introduce other types of foods that are rich in empty calories such as fast foods. Furthermore, the imposition of sugar tax might make people consider other sweetened products like chocolate and yoghurts since they do not fall under the category of soft drinks. Besides, the sugar tax may not address the issue of obesity since companies will still be allowed to advertise their sugary products to children and adults.
Opinion as to why whether Australia Should Introduce the Tax
A country can achieve its health goals by having healthy citizens who are free from diseases. Based on the recommendations proposed by the Australian Medical Association in 2018, I think the country should impose the levy. I believe that its introduction will reduce sugar consumption in the general public. As a result, there will be a significant reduction in the rising rates of diseases attributes to excess added sugar. Furthermore, the country will be able to reduce the immense economic impact created by sugar-related conditions.
Conclusion
Imposing a tax on sweetened soft drinks is a crucial strategy that has health benefits; the government of Australia should implement it. Positive impacts have been seen in different countries that have already imposed it. One of the benefits includes the reduction in the spread of lifestyle diseases. Another advantage is the reduced cost of healthcare linked to treating patients with these conditions. Besides, the implementation of a sugar tax will enable people to seek healthy options and analyze the health concerns brought by the government’s emphasis on controlling sugar intake.
References
Allen, W. M., & Allen, K. J. (2020). Should Australia tax sugar-sweetened beverages? Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health , 56(1), 8-15.doi:10.1111/jpc.14666
Australian Medical Association. (2018). Sugar tax needed in the war on obesity. Australian Medical Association . Retrieved from https://ama.com.au/media/sugar-tax-needed-war-obesity
Countries that have implemented taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages. (2019). Obesity Evidence Hub . Retrieved from https://www.obesityevidencehub.org.au/collections/prevention/countries-that-have-implemented-taxes-on-sugar-sweetened-beverages-ssbs
Scarborough, P., Adhikari, V., Harrington, R. A., Elhussein, A., Briggs, A., Rayner, M., et al. (2020). Impact of the announcement and implementation of the UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy on sugar content, price, product size, and a number of available soft drinks in the UK, 2015-19: A controlled interrupted time series analysis. Public Library of Science Medicine, 17 (2), e1003025.doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1003025
Torre, S. B.D., Keller, A., Depeyre, J. L., & Kruseman, M. (2016). Sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity risk in children and adolescents: A systematic analysis of how methodological quality may influence conclusions. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics , 116 (4), 638-659. doi:10.1016/j.jand .2015.05.020
Veerman, J. L., Sacks, G., Antonopoulos, N., & Martin, J., et al. (2016). The impact of a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages on health and health care costs: A mandatory study. Public Library of Science One, 11(4), e0151460.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0151460
Zeng, Z. (2019). The impact of a sugar tax on the economy. The Frontiers of Society, Science, and Technology , 1(5).doi:10.1111/obr.12868
