The Irish Beverage Council has given its reaction to Budget 2017, voicing frustration with the Government’s announcement of a sugar tax. Kevin McPartlan, Director of Irish Beverage Council said: “We are extremely disappointed that the Minister for Finance continues to labour under the delusion that additional taxes on soft drinks will have any positive impact on obesity. Internationally, this thesis has been tested and has a 100% failure rate. A sugar tax will hit consumers, industry and the economy for no public health benefit.
“It is some comfort that the Minister has announced that the levy will not be introduced ahead of that planned in the UK. We can only hope Government will engage in meaningful dialogue to minimise the economic loss to industry and threat to Irish jobs.
“Tackling obesity requires a whole of society approach. We remain committed to playing our part in tackling obesity and will continue with initiatives like reformulation, which took 2500 tonnes of sugar and 10 billion calories from the Irish diet in a seven year period.”
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