Johnson to freeze ‘sin taxes’ on unhealthy foods

Boris Johnson has pledged to halt hikes on so-called sin taxes, which include levies on tobacco, alcohol and sugar.

The frontrunner in the race to become prime minister committed on Wednesday to review the effectiveness of such taxes and to ask whether they unfairly hit those on low incomes.

The Tory MP also vowed not to introduce new ones until the review has been completed, as he hailed Brexit as an opportunity to examine tax policy.

Mrjohnson’scampaigncited taxes on products high in salt, fat and sugar as examples of the sin taxes.

Mr Johnson said: “If we want people to lose weight and live healthier lifestyles, we should encourage people to walk, cycle and generally do more exercise.

“Rather than just taxing people more, we should look at how effective the so-called ‘sin taxes’ really are, and if they actually change behaviour.

“Once we leave the EU on 31 October, we will have a historic opportunity to change the way politics is done in this country.

“A good way to start would be basing tax policy on clear evidence.”

A Uk-wide sugar tax on soft drinks was introduced in April last year, and has been hailed by experts including the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

England’s chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies is currently preparing a report on taxing unhealthy foods in a bid to tackle childhood obesity.

The Scottish Government is also considering whether to restrict “multibuy” promotions on unhealthy snacks that are high in sugar, fat and salt, and last year introduced a minimum unit price for alcohol to cut down on problem drinking.