The Royal College of Physicians in Ireland has called for the introduction of a 20% tax on sugar-sweetened drinks in its Pre-Budget Submission.
The RCPI made the call along with calling for a number of other measures, including the ‘urgent’ adoption of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, subsidies for healthy food and the expansion of school breakfast clubs and school fruit schemes.
"The Government, like the food and drinks industry, is happy to talk about personal responsibility and choice,” said Prof Donal O’Shea, Chair of the RCPI Policy Group on Obesity.
“Only strong decisions by government backed by legislation will change the environment and enable personal change. It's already too late for many, but that is no reason for continued lethargy in tackling the country’s No.1 public health problem.”
Prof O’Shea added that failure to act could mean that Ireland would be ‘well on track to becoming the fattest country in Europe by 2030’.
In April, the Irish Beverage Council slammed calls for a sugar tax, saying there is significant evidence to suggest that discriminatory taxes are ineffective in tackling complex diet and lifestyle-related problems.
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Stephen Wynne-Jones
