Latest updates from around the world

The ‘Latest updates from around the world’ section of the website reviews the on-going food and beverage tax debate from all angles. In the sections linked below you can find reviews and links to articles in the media, academic research by leading experts and the views of decision-makers from around Europe contributing to the debate on food and beverage taxation.

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03.12.2014

France’s Les Echos: “Food taxation should not be a punitive tool”

Who has not heard of the Nutella tax? An amendment to the 2013 French budget law foresaw an increased levy on palm oil that received the nickname "Nutella Tax". After being voted in the Senate, it was...

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Education not tax, Government revenue, Industry, Ineffective on obesity, Taxes unfair, What others say: experts, Europe, France
03.10.2014

Molinari Institute Report – Nutrition taxes: a broken tool in public health policy

Recent reports by French senators Yves Daudigny and Catherine Deroche and by Professor Serge Hercberg highlight the public health problems (cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer) linked to expan...

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Government revenue, Ineffective consumer behaviour, Ineffective on obesity, Taxes unfair, What others say: experts, What others say: government, Behavioural taxation, discriminatory taxation, Education not tax, Fat tax, Price elasticity, Pricing policy, Sugar, Taxation, Taxes, VAT, Europe, France
20.08.2014

Trade media comments on “The Fat Lie”

Obesity caused mainly by inactivity, not by sugar Foodmanufacture.co.uk by Laurence Gibbons Public health campaigners have attributed Britain's obesity epidemic to increased availability of junk...

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Education, Education not tax, Ineffective consumer behaviour, Ineffective on obesity, Physical activity not tax, What others say: experts, What others say: media, United Kingdom
19.08.2014

Inactivity, not calorie consumption, behind rising obesity in the UK

New research finds UK's rise in obesity has been primarily caused by a decline in physical activity The rise in obesity amongst the UK population has been primarily caused by a decline in physical ac...

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Ineffective on obesity, UK Regulations, Uncategorized, What others say: experts, What others say: government, Behavioural taxation, Calorie consumption, Christopher Snowdon, Consumer behaviour, Education not tax, Food economics, Inactivity, Obesity, Physical activity, Taxation, The fat lie, United Kingdom
19.08.2014

The fat lie: Britain’s rising obesity unmasked

New research suggests the UK's rise in obesity has not been caused by, as many have suggested, high-fat foods and sugary drinks but by a lack of physical activity. Conducted by the Institute...

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Education not tax, Ineffective consumer behaviour, Ineffective on obesity, Taxes unfair, What others say: experts, What others say: media, Behavioural taxation, IEA, Institute for Economic Affairs, Obesity, Physical activity, The fat lie, United Kingdom
18.08.2014

‘Sin taxes’ are regressive and impose middle class values on the working class

'Sin taxes' as a strategy to curb consumption of foods high in salt, fats and sugar are regressive and disproportionately costly for businesses and consumers, according to an economist from the Instit...

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Industry, Ineffective consumer behaviour, Ineffective on obesity, What others say: experts, What others say: government
18.08.2014

Stier: Raising taxes on certain foods, drinks does little to fight obesity

What do Latin American governments do when they realize they are spending more money than they have? In part, they raise taxes on the poor in the name of fighting obesity by taxing food and beverages....

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Government revenue, Ineffective consumer behaviour, Ineffective on obesity, Taxes unfair, Uncategorized, What others say: media, Behavioural taxation, Consumer behaviour, discriminatory taxation, Education not tax, Fat tax, Food prices, Soda tax, Soft drinks, United States
31.07.2014

Fat taxes could hit competitiveness thanks to complex rules says EU report

Taxes on foods high in sugar, salt and fat, do reduce consumption but can lead to consumers simply switching brands or finding other ways to purchase fatty foods while avoiding the tax, according to a...

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Industry, Ineffective consumer behaviour, Ineffective on obesity, What others say: media, Behavioural taxation, Competitiveness, Consumer behaviour, Employment, Food prices, Ineffective, Price elasticity, Pricing policy, Tax, Taxation, Taxes, Europe, United Kingdom
26.07.2014

Kids need self-reliance, not spoon-feeding

Matthew Syed, British journalist, three-time Commonwealth table tennis champion and a two-time Olympian, was recently at a school in south London to open a new table tennis club. The school was “ma...

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Education, Education not tax, Ineffective on obesity, What others say: experts, What others say: media, United Kingdom
16.07.2014

EC study finds Impact of food taxes on public health inconclusive and contradictory

The European Commission study into the impact of food taxes on consumption and competitiveness in the agri-food sector was published on 16 July. It aims to support policy making by gathering informati...

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Education not tax, Government revenue, Industry, Taxes unfair, What others say: government, Europe
14.07.2014

UK political party rules out sugar or fat tax, but takes aim at advergames

The UK Labour party has ruled out the possibility of taxes on sugar or fat, but will take aim at marketing to children and online advergames, says shadow Public Health Minister Luciana Berger. “Whe...

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Government revenue, Taxes unfair, UK Regulations, What others say: government, United Kingdom
26.06.2014

Britain needs action on obesity, but the evidence for a sugar tax is thin

Scientific advisors to the Government have signalled a war on sugar with draft recommendations which suggest adults should half their sugar intake. But Professor Richard Tiffin, of the University of R...

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Government revenue, Taxes unfair, UK Regulations, What others say: experts, United Kingdom
21.06.2014

Sugar tax is ruled out by UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt

Ministers have ruled out introducing a “sugar tax” on unhealthy snacks ahead of two major Government reports on the issue next week. Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, said the Coalition intends...

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Government revenue, Taxes unfair, UK Regulations, What others say: government, United Kingdom
27.05.2014

German Ministry of Food and Agriculture rejects the use of fat taxes

The spokesman of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture mentioned in an article in Die Welt that: "Using punitive food and drinks taxes which generate political control of consumption and...

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Ineffective consumer behaviour, Ineffective on obesity, Taxes unfair, Uncategorized, What others say: government, Behavioural taxation, Denmark, Die Welt, Effectiveness, Fat tax, Food economics, Germany, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Tax, Taxation, Taxes, Europe
26.05.2014

Belgian authorities lack appetite for food tax

Is the food tax becoming an important weapon in the fight against obesity? Such a prospect is not yet on the cards in Belgium. A study at the University of Ghent has found little enthusiasm among poli...

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Education not tax, Government revenue, Taxes unfair, What others say: experts, Belgium, Europe
18.03.2014

Bitter Study: Soda taxes don’t cut obesity, drive people to other sugars

A new report funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation casts "serious doubt" on efforts by nanny state legislators to curb obesity through tax increases on sweet sodas and energy drinks, finding i...

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What others say: media
18.02.2014

Labour says no to a tax on high-sugar food and drink

Shadow health minister Luciana Berger this week ruled out the possibility of a Labour government imposing additional taxes on fizzy drinks and other high-sugar products. In an exclusive interv...

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Education not tax, Ineffective consumer behaviour, Taxes unfair, UK Regulations, What others say: government, discriminatory taxation, Fat tax, Food economics, Food prices, Government revenue, Labour, Obesity, Pricing policy, Soda tax, Soft drinks, Sugar, Taxation, United Kingdom
31.01.2014

Les taxes dites « comportementales » présentent de nombreux écueils, selon une nouvelle étude de l’Institut économique Molinari (IEM)

Paris, le jeudi 30 janvier 2014 – Sous prétexte de changer les habitudes de consommation, nombre de nouvelles taxes ont déjà été proposées : taxe sur le gras au Danemark, taxe « Nutella » e...

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Ineffective consumer behaviour, Ineffective on obesity, Taxes unfair, Uncategorized, What others say: experts, Behavioural taxation, Consumer behaviour, discriminatory taxation, Drinks tax, Fat tax, Food prices, Food tax, Government revenue, Obesity, Pricing policy, Soda tax, Taxation, Taxes, Europe, France
08.11.2013

Telluride, Colorado – voters reject tax on sugary drinks

Uk.reuters.com 06.11.13  Colorado: Reports that Telluride, Colorado voters “overwhelmingly” rejected a proposed sugar-sweetened drink tax. Elisa Marie Overall, spokeswoman for Kick the Can Tellu...

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Ineffective consumer behaviour, Taxes unfair, US Drinks News, What others say: media, Consumer behaviour, Fat tax, Popular opposition, Pricing policy, Soda tax, Taxation, United States
08.11.2013

French Minister of Finance – soda tax is a ‘smokescreen’

French Taxes: Jeanmarcmorandini.com reports on an interview with former French Minister of Finance, François Baroin, who discusses the soda tax calling it “a smokescreen” and “just an easy way...

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Government revenue, What others say: government, Food economics, Food prices, Pricing policy, Taxation, Europe, France
21.10.2013

Fast food accounts for ‘minority of calories’ but gets all the focus

Hunger the ‘least important’ factor in determining what we eat Fast-food and soft drinks account for “a minority” of calories we consume but we focus on those items while ignoring foods suc...

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Education not tax, Ineffective consumer behaviour, Ineffective on obesity, UK Regulations, What others say: media, Consumer behaviour, education, Fat tax, Obesity, Taxation, Ireland
21.10.2013

Seeder: Estonia not ready for sugar tax

Helir-Valdor Seeder, Minister of Agriculture is of the opinion that Estonian society is not ready to support a separate tax on excessively salty, sweet or fatty food products. People’s awareness...

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Education not tax, Ineffective consumer behaviour, What others say: government, Fat tax, Food economics, Food prices, Government revenue, Inconclusive, Price elasticity, Pricing policy, Tax, Taxation, Estonia, Europe
18.09.2013

But there is still no soda tax

According to the Health Minister Laurette Onkelinx, there is no evidence that taxation has any impact on the consumption of soft drinks. For several months Health Minister Laurette Onkelinx has studi...

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Ineffective consumer behaviour, Ineffective on obesity, What others say: media, Fat tax, Inconclusive, Pricing policy, Soft drinks, Sugar, Taxation, Belgium
05.09.2013

CASH boss slams government health campaigns

  Professor Graham MacGregor, Chairman of Consensus Action on Salt & Health (CASH), has claimed that “the government’s voluntary Public Health Responsibility Deal (PHRD) may not yet be dead,...

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Ineffective on obesity, UK Regulations, Uncategorized, What others say: experts, Consumer behaviour, Fat tax, Food prices, Legislation, Pricing policy, Soda tax, Sugar, United Kingdom
27.05.2013

Reviewing the proposed tax on soft drinks

On Monday May 27, 2013, Belgian RTL + TV channel focused on the proposed Belgian tax on soft drinks. Several questions were raised regarding this issue including: Would a tax actually discourage peo...

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Industry, What others say: experts, What others say: media, Consumer behaviour, Fat tax, Government revenue, Obesity, Pricing policy, Sugar, Taxation, Belgium

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