Sugary drink tax Sugary drink tax A sugary drink tax or soda tax is a tax or surcharge designed to reduce consumption of drinks with added sugar. Drinks covered under a soda tax often include carbonated soft drinks, sports drinks and energy drinks. The tax is a matter of public debate in many countries and beverage producers like Coca-Cola often oppose it. Advocates such as national medical associations and the World Health Organization promote the tax as an example of Pigovian taxation, aimed to discourage unhealthy diets and offset the growing economic costs of obesity. Type II diabetes is a growing health concern
Sugary drink tax soda taxes. Just like with tobacco taxes, smaller communities are often the first to pass a new type of tax. Barbados passed a soda tax in September 2015, applied as an excise of 10%. Fiji has an import tax and an excise tax on soda. French Polynesia implemented taxes on soft drinks in 2002. Mauritius passed a soda tax in 2013. Nauru implemented a soda tax in 2007. Samoa passed a soda tax in 1984. In March 2014, the government of the island of St Helena, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, announced that it would be introducing