19 September 2017
Channel 9
Fresh calls for sugary drinks to be slugged with a 20 percent tax have been slapped down by PM Malcolm Turnbull and the nation’s food and beverages industry.
The government is being urged to introduce the tax as part of an eight-point plan drawn up by a coalition of health and community groups which want urgent action to tackle the increasing number of Australians who are overweight or obese.
They also want restrictions on TV junk food ads, a national obesity task force and mandatory health star ratings for food packaging by mid 2019.
But Mr Turnbull says while obesity is a major challenge, a tax on soft drinks is not the solution.
“I think we have enough taxes and there are enough imposts on us all when we go to the supermarket and we go shopping,” he told 9NEWS today.
“The other thing is too where do you draw the line? There is a lot of sugar in a bottle of orange juice, are you going to put a tax on that?”
The groups calling for a sugar tax include the Obesity Policy Coalition, Cancer Council, the Heart Foundation and several universities.
They estimate that 63 percent of Australian adults and 27 percent of children are either overweight or obese, with the annual cost to the health budget coming in at around $8.6 billion.
Obesity Policy Coalition executive manager Jane Martin said if the government doesn’t act to address the problem, the costs will escalate.
Experts now say obesity poses a greater risk to Australians than smoking.
“The policies we have set out to tackle obesity therefore aim to not only reduce morbidity and mortality but also improve wellbeing, bring vital benefits to the economy and set Australians up for a healthier future,” she said.
Ms Martin said part of Australia’s obesity problem was that kids were being bombarded with ads for junk food and high-sugar drinks that are cheaper than water.
Many so called healthy foods were also laden with sugar and saturated fat.
“Making a healthy choice has never been more difficult,” she said.
Mr Turnbull said he believed the best approach was focusing on making people aware of what they are eating – and the consequences.
“Labelling is very important, health messages through the media, … but also exercise. Get up and walk,” he said.
Australia’s food and beverages industry also opposes a sugar tax and argues that a broad and holistic approach is needed to tackle the problem.
“We believe there is no single cause or quick fix solution,” a joint statement released by eight major food and drinks groups led by the Australian Food & Grocery Council said.
“Industry continues to demonstrate strong compliance with self-regulatory food and beverage advertising codes which have virtually removed all non-core food advertising primarily directed to children.”
Countries like Britain, Ireland, Belgium, France, Fiji, Mexico, South Africa and part of the United States have already or are about to apply a sugar tax.
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