The Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein, Daniel Gunther (CDU), has announced a legislative initiative to introduce a nationwide tax on foods that are particularly high in sugar. Günther wants to take “a Federal Council initiative” through his state government in the first quarter of next year, he said in a previously published interview with the newspaper The world. The topic will also be brought up at the upcoming federal party conference of the CDU in February.
“A sugar tax has long been necessary politically and economically because excessive sugar consumption causes significant health problems and therefore enormous social costs,” said Günther in the interview. He would prefer to regulate sugar consumption without government regulation, “but we’re obviously not there yet.”
According to the study, sugar costs billions of dollars in health care
The Marburger Bund medical association had previously called on the federal government to introduce a tax on sugar. One from the environmental protection organization Greenpeace A study commissioned in April calculated that sugar consumption in Germany causes health costs of almost twelve billion euros annually. The reason for this is the disease risks associated with sugar, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, tooth decay or periodontal disease. According to the study, a sugar tax could reduce the consumption of sugary products.
In Great Britain already has some kind of sugar tax. Manufacturers of soft drinks pay additional taxes depending on the sugar content. According to the organization Foodwatch, the tax has already led to beverage manufacturers in Great Britain significantly reducing the sugar content in their products.
