Brits push ahead with sugar tax

BRITAIN moved forward with its planned sugar tax yesterday, publishing draft legislation confirming a two-band levy for sugar-added soft drinks aimed at fighting obesity. The tax, which was announced in March, is due to come into force in April 2018, giving sellers of soft drinks time to reduce sugar in their products. The British levy has two thresholds, one for soft drinks with more than 5g of sugar per 100ml and a higher one for those with more than 8g per 100ml. The draft was published yesterday by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs as part of an overview of legislative changes to tax law that the British government plans to introduce in its finance bill for next year. – Reuters US