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Soda Tax?
Replies
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Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »...Creating sugar free drinks won’t tackle the whole problem but it will help towards the bigger picture...
If only such a thing existed.
If only.
My point is that it does exist (which you know but wanted to be sarcastic .. nice one ..) and it exists because sugar tax happened and companies were forced to create them .. which is why I feel that there should be sugar tax elsewhere
Sugar-free soda existed before this though.
Yes I know, it’s been around since the 60’s but a lot more so now in the UK since we introduced our sugar tax
Well, we have tons of diet sodas here in the US and not many areas have a soda tax. I'm not sure what you're seeing is related to the tax. It may be a side effect of people becoming aware of the rising obesity rate and wanting to consume less sugar.
I think it’s a mixture of both in the UK, a load more companies are changing their recipes to have less sugar etc because of the tax so more is available here
Is this based on anything besides your personal observations?
It’s based on what I’m seeing and experiencing in the UK, diet soda is cheaper than full sugar soda .. that’s a fact. And of course based on this new tax we are finding so much more diet soda ..
Nobody is disputing that diet or reduced sugar soda is now cheaper in the UK. What I'm asking for is whether there is any evidence for the rest of your claims beyond your personal observations.
You said that companies were forced to create diet sodas due to this tax ("it exists because sugar tax happened and companies were forced to create them."). Yet the UK had diet soda before the tax. So what exact changes are you referring to here?
An article in the bbc quoted that big manufacturers were creating sugar free versions as “They don't want their customers to have to fork out more for their favourite soft drinks from 6 April” which is when our sugar tax came into play
Which article are you referring to?
In any case, we have an abundance of diet and sugar-free drinks already in the US. So implementing a tax to make it happen is pointless. Maybe the UK didn't have diet drinks before the sugar tax (although I remember finding them quite easily when I vacationed there in the early 2000s), but we already have them. So a sugar tax being created for this purpose would be useless.1 -
Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »...Creating sugar free drinks won’t tackle the whole problem but it will help towards the bigger picture...
If only such a thing existed.
If only.
My point is that it does exist (which you know but wanted to be sarcastic .. nice one ..) and it exists because sugar tax happened and companies were forced to create them .. which is why I feel that there should be sugar tax elsewhere
Sugar-free soda existed before this though.
Yes I know, it’s been around since the 60’s but a lot more so now in the UK since we introduced our sugar tax
Well, we have tons of diet sodas here in the US and not many areas have a soda tax. I'm not sure what you're seeing is related to the tax. It may be a side effect of people becoming aware of the rising obesity rate and wanting to consume less sugar.
I think it’s a mixture of both in the UK, a load more companies are changing their recipes to have less sugar etc because of the tax so more is available here
Is this based on anything besides your personal observations?
It’s based on what I’m seeing and experiencing in the UK, diet soda is cheaper than full sugar soda .. that’s a fact. And of course based on this new tax we are finding so much more diet soda ..
Nobody is disputing that diet or reduced sugar soda is now cheaper in the UK. What I'm asking for is whether there is any evidence for the rest of your claims beyond your personal observations.
You said that companies were forced to create diet sodas due to this tax ("it exists because sugar tax happened and companies were forced to create them."). Yet the UK had diet soda before the tax. So what exact changes are you referring to here?
An article in the bbc quoted that big manufacturers were creating sugar free versions as “They don't want their customers to have to fork out more for their favourite soft drinks from 6 April” which is when our sugar tax came into play
Manufacturers are always going to try to create new brands because their end game is to make a profit. There may be a higher demand now for sugar free, but I believe that consumers are demanding that more from a health perspective and less about cost. Sugar free options most certainly don't exist because of a sugar tax though like you previously claimed. As others have pointed out, they were around long before a sugar tax took place.2 -
Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »...Creating sugar free drinks won’t tackle the whole problem but it will help towards the bigger picture...
If only such a thing existed.
If only.
My point is that it does exist (which you know but wanted to be sarcastic .. nice one ..) and it exists because sugar tax happened and companies were forced to create them .. which is why I feel that there should be sugar tax elsewhere
Sugar-free soda existed before this though.
Yes I know, it’s been around since the 60’s but a lot more so now in the UK since we introduced our sugar tax
Well, we have tons of diet sodas here in the US and not many areas have a soda tax. I'm not sure what you're seeing is related to the tax. It may be a side effect of people becoming aware of the rising obesity rate and wanting to consume less sugar.
I think it’s a mixture of both in the UK, a load more companies are changing their recipes to have less sugar etc because of the tax so more is available here
Is this based on anything besides your personal observations?
It’s based on what I’m seeing and experiencing in the UK, diet soda is cheaper than full sugar soda .. that’s a fact. And of course based on this new tax we are finding so much more diet soda ..
Nobody is disputing that diet or reduced sugar soda is now cheaper in the UK. What I'm asking for is whether there is any evidence for the rest of your claims beyond your personal observations.
You said that companies were forced to create diet sodas due to this tax ("it exists because sugar tax happened and companies were forced to create them."). Yet the UK had diet soda before the tax. So what exact changes are you referring to here?
An article in the bbc quoted that big manufacturers were creating sugar free versions as “They don't want their customers to have to fork out more for their favourite soft drinks from 6 April” which is when our sugar tax came into play
Maybe sharing the link would be helpful - you just seem to be coming at this from a perspective that this is the first time YOU'VE been aware of these things, but it's likely, as others have pointed out that the sugar free beverages have been available for quite some time. Furthermore, market research and product development initiatives are going to likely have many insights driving them - simply creating a new product because of sugar tax, because a manufacturer is trying to help customers keep personal costs down - isn't going to be the sole business justification, and certainly isn't why companies were "forced to create them" as you suggested earlier.
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Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »...Creating sugar free drinks won’t tackle the whole problem but it will help towards the bigger picture...
If only such a thing existed.
If only.
My point is that it does exist (which you know but wanted to be sarcastic .. nice one ..) and it exists because sugar tax happened and companies were forced to create them .. which is why I feel that there should be sugar tax elsewhere
Sugar-free soda existed before this though.
Yes I know, it’s been around since the 60’s but a lot more so now in the UK since we introduced our sugar tax
Well, we have tons of diet sodas here in the US and not many areas have a soda tax. I'm not sure what you're seeing is related to the tax. It may be a side effect of people becoming aware of the rising obesity rate and wanting to consume less sugar.
I think it’s a mixture of both in the UK, a load more companies are changing their recipes to have less sugar etc because of the tax so more is available here
Is this based on anything besides your personal observations?
It’s based on what I’m seeing and experiencing in the UK, diet soda is cheaper than full sugar soda .. that’s a fact. And of course based on this new tax we are finding so much more diet soda ..
Or maybe you're just now noticing the existence of diet soda because of all the press about the soda tax. Because it's not a new product by any stretch of the imagination. Everybody else seems to realize that they've been around for decades.3 -
Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »...Creating sugar free drinks won’t tackle the whole problem but it will help towards the bigger picture...
If only such a thing existed.
If only.
My point is that it does exist (which you know but wanted to be sarcastic .. nice one ..) and it exists because sugar tax happened and companies were forced to create them .. which is why I feel that there should be sugar tax elsewhere
Sugar-free soda existed before this though.
Yes I know, it’s been around since the 60’s but a lot more so now in the UK since we introduced our sugar tax
Well, we have tons of diet sodas here in the US and not many areas have a soda tax. I'm not sure what you're seeing is related to the tax. It may be a side effect of people becoming aware of the rising obesity rate and wanting to consume less sugar.
I think it’s a mixture of both in the UK, a load more companies are changing their recipes to have less sugar etc because of the tax so more is available here
Unless it's UK-only companies or other companies ONLY changing the recipes in the UK, you're seeing things.2 -
Mandylou19912014 wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »LiftHeavyThings27105 wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »Sarahfaster wrote: »Do you think there should be a tax on sweet beverages like soda? or maybe even juice?
We have already implemented that here in the UK, we are paying like 18p or 24p per litre extra now depending on how much extra sugar has been added to the drink. currently the revenue has fallen due to fewer drinks containing this amount of sugar are on sale, Irn Bru have even stopped making their original full sugar drink now, and other companies like Britvic have cut sugar across their product range. I think it’s good that the government is actively trying to cut back people’s sugar intake and it has forced companies to create lower sugar versions of the drinks so we don’t feel the sting! I think obesity is caused by people eating wayy too many calories and sugar is a big factor in it, it makes me wonder if they are going to start taxing full fat products next or something!
Now, and I lived in Germany for several years after I graduated from University (many moons ago) and I had the chance to go to London numerous times on business so I LOVE A GOOD DEBATE, I would have to disagree with you.
I am of the mindset that it is NEVER a good idea for the govt to tax people to "control their behavior". It is not the govt business what I put in my body. Additionally, my concern is that the govt picks on "this group" one week...soon thereafter they pick on "another group" and so on. Eventually, they are going to pick on 6'0" @ 205lbs bald white guys in their early 50's who earn more than $XXX,XXX a year. Plus, those guys - and here comes my bias based on a lot of experience - are not nearly smart enough to get this stuff correct.
In my opinion, if I want to eat pork rinds all day long (have never had pork rinds, so no idea what those are...but they seem to be "not very healthy" - whatever that means) then that is my choice and my right. Eventually, there could be some consequences. This, logically, brings up another conversation (about "fat people paying more for health insurance"). And, potentially another conversation (should the govt implement the "Stupid Tax"?).
Live and let live. If you want to drink Soda and eat Pork Rinds all day long, then knock yourself out. Have at it! Just don't ask me for any money (in any form) to subsidize your consumption (no matter soda and pork rinds or steak and eggs). But that is an whole other conversation! :-)
Anyway, like I said, I love a good debate. I find it very interesting and engaging to have good honest conversation with people from different countries and with people of different mindsets (not suggesting that because you are from a different country that you have a different mind set). I have the neatest conversations in the common kitchen here at work.
I look forward to your thoughts on what I am suggesting. Don't be shy....you are not going to hurt my feelings.
Hey
I love a good debate too haha, so in my opinion I think that because the uks government provide a free health care service it’s important that they put measures in place, like how they’ve done, to ensure that people remain healthy. If everyone were to eat as much junk as they liked then we would have a crises and the NHS would just buckle. Creating sugar free drinks won’t tackle the whole problem but it will help towards the bigger picture. I don’t want to face health issues later on in life and ideally I think the NHS shouldn’t be wasted on helping people who have no self control, when there are others needing it who simply can’t help their situation
You keep saying this as if they don't already exist.
It's been a long time since I've studied the NHS. I completed a comparative study of three different health care systems, but this would have been about 7 years ago. My understanding at that time was that doctors were incentivized to improve their patient health markers. Which is a very interesting approach to health improvement and harm reduction, which could certainly help reduce the downstream costs of a system by front loading into health promotion focus. Efficacy of how this has been implemented in the NHS is a completely different conversation. Imposing a sugar tax does nothing to educate people.
I have actually mentioned that it’s already been implemented in the UK so I’m very aware that it exists imposing a sugar tax actually forces people into buying sugar free versions which will help towards the bigger picture of obesity etc
First, it doesn't force people to do anything. Second, what makes you think that if people are likely to over consume calories that they won't replace high sugar drinks with high calorie foods?
Well it kind of does .. I’m sure as hell not paying extra for high sugar drinks when I can get sugar free versions cheaper
Would you get the high sugar drinks instead of sugar free if they were priced the same? Why or why not?2 -
Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »Mandylou19912014 wrote: »...Creating sugar free drinks won’t tackle the whole problem but it will help towards the bigger picture...
If only such a thing existed.
If only.
My point is that it does exist (which you know but wanted to be sarcastic .. nice one ..) and it exists because sugar tax happened and companies were forced to create them .. which is why I feel that there should be sugar tax elsewhere
Sugar-free soda existed before this though.
Yes I know, it’s been around since the 60’s but a lot more so now in the UK since we introduced our sugar tax
Well, we have tons of diet sodas here in the US and not many areas have a soda tax. I'm not sure what you're seeing is related to the tax. It may be a side effect of people becoming aware of the rising obesity rate and wanting to consume less sugar.
I think it’s a mixture of both in the UK, a load more companies are changing their recipes to have less sugar etc because of the tax so more is available here
Is this based on anything besides your personal observations?
It’s based on what I’m seeing and experiencing in the UK, diet soda is cheaper than full sugar soda .. that’s a fact. And of course based on this new tax we are finding so much more diet soda ..
Or maybe you're just now noticing the existence of diet soda because of all the press about the soda tax. Because it's not a new product by any stretch of the imagination. Everybody else seems to realize that they've been around for decades.
Truth
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I live in Seattle, the city has a soda tax. most people don't care and if they are stocking up for a party they just head out of king county to purchase. what I don't understand is if the tax is supposedly to reduce people drinking sugary drinks then how come it doesn't apply to starbucks drinks. cause lets be honest most of those drinks are sugar bombs0
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I live in Seattle, the city has a soda tax. most people don't care and if they are stocking up for a party they just head out of king county to purchase. what I don't understand is if the tax is supposedly to reduce people drinking sugary drinks then how come it doesn't apply to starbucks drinks. cause lets be honest most of those drinks are sugar bombs
2 reasons for that - Starbucks brings in too much money to Seattle and has too much political clout because of it, and because sodas are bad and only bad people drink them so the bad people must be punished (that last part was a little tongue-in-cheek, but it's probably not that far from the truth).4
This discussion has been closed.
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