Sugar Tax

The government has unveiled a tax on sugary drinks in the budget, which was released on 16 March 2016. There has been a lot of emphasis on the sugar tax and dentists and others such as Jamie Oliver and the British Dental Health Foundation have held strong views on the government to implement such a tax. The tax is being introduced to help to reduce obesity, but it may also help reduce dental problems, such as tooth decay.

The sugar tax

The government has advised that the sugar tax is due to come into force in April 2018 and it is forecasted that £530 million will be raised. The government has said that the money raised will be spent on primary school sports in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would be free to spend the money raised how they see fit.

The tax has been forecast to take effect in April 2018, to give drink manufactures time to change their recipes or ingredients.

Some manufacturers such as Coca-Cola have spoken out against the sugar tax and consider that the tax will not reduce obesity.

How will it work?

There will be two categories of taxation, one for total sugar content above 5g per 100ml, and a second, higher band for drinks with more than 8g per 100ml.

Examples of drinks which would currently fall under the higher rate of the sugar tax include full fat Coca-Cola, Lucozade and Old Jamaican ginger beer. Whereas drinks which would fall into the lower tax banding would be Lilt, and Tango orange. This will mean that the cost of these drinks will increase by 8p or 6p. Pure fruit juices and milk-based drinks will not be included in the reform.

The sugar tax and dentistry

We all know that a diet high in sugar is not good for our teeth and the British Dental Health Foundation has campaigned for a number of years for a sugar tax to be introduced. My colleague Ali Cloak wrote a blog on a dentist campaign to have a sugar tax introduced, due to the alarming amounts of young patients having to undergo fillings and extractions.

Eating a diet high in sugar can cause tooth decay and if tooth decay is not diagnosed or treated, this can lead to:

– Toothache
– Swelling in the gums near a painful tooth
– Abscesses
– Bad breath
– Extraction of teeth

Summary

Whilst a sugar tax has been announced it is uncertain whether this will reduce tooth decay. People may still choose to purchase sugary drinks, despite the price hike. However, it may make people more conscious on choosing what they drink, as there has been a lot of publicity around the sugar tax.