Yahoo Finance Sugar, fast-food tax needed to fight chronic obesity
The healthcare costs of sugar-laden drinks have become too high, a Senate inquiry into Australia’s obesity epidemic has found, pushing for a tax on sugary drinks.
The inquiry recommended a sugar tax be placed on soft drinks and other sweetened drinks to curb the excessive consumption and manufacturing of sweet products.
“This isn’t just something that affects consumption, but it also affects production and what we see is healthier products being made available,” Greens leader and former general practitioner, Richard Di Natale said.
“This is a major health issue. We have an epidemic of chronic disease looming over the horizon and we have an urgent need to address this issue.”
The inquiry suggested the government find the best way to increase prices by at least 20 per cent.
“The impacts of sugary drinks are borne most by those on low income and they will also reap the most benefits from measures that change the behaviour of manufacturers,” the Select Committee into the Obesity Epidemic said in the report.
What else did they recommend?
The report, released yesterday, also recommended restrictions on food and drink advertising on free-to-air television and a wider roll-out of the health start system.
The inquiry said the health indicator should be made mandatory by 2020 and problems in the way fruit juice and their sugar content are measured be resolved.
The committee comprising of senators from all major parties also suggested fast food menus be required to display nutritional information
In the 2014/15 year, a shocking 63 per cent of Australian adults were overweight or obese and 20 per cent of children between two and four were also overweight or obese.
However, both Labor and the Coalition have historically opposed a sugar tax and changes to advertising.
– With AAP.
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