Protect children, save lives, save taxpayers’ money.
Reducing the added sugar in soft drinks is a public health and taxpayer priority.
A sugary drinks tax is a tried, tested, fair and popular measure.
Tax the can
We support the Soft Drinks Industry Levy – a key plank of the Government’s Childhood Obesity Plan.
Big food, drink and tobacco companies are fighting tooth and nail to block this sugary drinks tax from being introduced.
£1billion in new investment in primary school sports, breakfast clubs and secondary school after-school activities is potentially at risk if the Levy doesn’t go ahead.
It’s our children’s health, NHS resources and taxpayers’ money that is at stake.
Whose side are you on?
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1. Protect children
- Children are consuming nearly 3x recommended maximum daily sugar intake.
- Almost 1 in 3 children in England are overweight or obese.
- Tooth decay is the no:1 reason for hospital admissions among young children.
2. Save lives
- Almost 50,000 fewer cases of Type 2 diabetes.
- Over 33,000 fewer cases of heart disease and stroke.
- Nearly 9,000 fewer cases of bowel cancer.
3. Save taxpayers' money
- £300million in direct treatment savings to the NHS, and significant savings to the NHS dental care budget too.
- More is spent in England each year on the treatment of obesity and diabetes than on the police, fire and judicial system combined.
- The indirect cost to the UK economy from obesity is between £27billion and £46billion.
A sugary drinks tax is a tried, tested and effective measure.
A sugary drinks tax is a targeted, fair and proportionate measure.
A sugary drinks tax is a popular measure
Who SUPPORTS a sugary drinks tax:
- Doctors, nurses, dentists, dietitians, surgeons, and other health professionals.
- Public Health England (the Government’s own scientific advisors) and politicians from across the political spectrum.
- The Treasury and the Government – it’s now Government policy!
- Parents’ groups, teachers, trade unions, major children’s and health charities.
- Majority support amongst the wider public – 69% in favour, according to a poll in March 2016. Other opinion polls also consistently show a majority in favour.
- More than 155,000 people supported a petition to introduce a sugary drinks tax.
Who is AGAINST a sugary drinks tax:
- Big Soda – Coca Cola, PepsiCo, British Soft Drinks Association
- Big Food – Nestle, Mondelez (Cadbury), Food and Drink Federation
- Big Tobacco – British American Tobacco
- Lobbyists for the tobacco industry – Institute of Economic Affairs, Forest
- Lobbyists with non-transparent funding – TaxPayers Alliance, People Against Sugar Tax.
- Obesity-deniers and anti-science ideologues and Twitter trolls.
