Essay on Beverage Drinks

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There is no doubt that too much sugar, in the form of high-fructose corn syrup found in sugar- sweetened beverages, is a prime cause of weight gain, obesity, diabetes, tooth decay, and other problems. Statistically, soda pop and other sugar-based drinks are the single largest source of calories in New Zealand diet. That is the reason why billions of dollars is annually spent on obesity treatment and other obesity related diseases. Recently, a group of New Zealand experts has recommended that the government levy a tax on these sugary drinks so as to not only reduce obesity and improve the public health but also to raise revenue to fund health- promotion programs. It is the government that has a responsibility to inform consumers of the problem and implement measures which get people eating less sugar.

The first reason to support the implementation of taxes on sugar-sweetened drinks is that it could potentially reduce the number of obese people and obesity associated disease. There is a clear link between sugary drinks and obesity. People who drink sugary beverages do not feel as full as if they had eaten the same calories from solid food. So as to reduce the prevalence of obesity, people should limitedly consume these drinks. It is hard to deny that higher taxes on sugary drinks leads to less consumption of these unhealthy drinks The research from NiMhurchu et all (2014) showed that a 20% sales tax on fizzy drinks would save significantly around 180,000 people in the UK from the risk of obesity and reduce the overweight by a further 285,000 people. Another U.S. study reviewed by Mytton and his colleagues (2012) found a 20% tax on sugary drinks in the U.S. would reduce obesity levels by 3.5% — from 33.5% to 30% among adults. Moreover, it was also estimated that a 20% tax on carbonated drinks would postpone 67 deaths from cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and diet-related cancers in New Zealand (NiMhurchu et al, 2014). This was considerably comparable to 58 annual deaths from cervical cancer (2001-10). Therefore, it is reasonable to consider the benefits of imposing tax on sugary drinks to New Zealand's community health.

A further reason to support a tax on sugary drinks is that it is likely to have positive indirect health impacts. It is apparent that there will be a great amount of revenue generated if a tax is applied on fizzy drinks. According to her research calculation, NiMhurchu et all (2014) estimated that a 20% tax on sugar beverages in New Zealand could contribute up to 40 million revenue a year. The revenue, therefore could be used to subsidize the costs of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables or to improve the health care system. Furthermore, implementation of a fizzy drink tax may lead to greater public awareness of the negative impacts of drinking carbonated drinks (Mytton, 2014). More importantly, education on fitness program or nutrition classes should be encouraged that children from the very early age can read labels to see which things are healthy or unhealthy. This is a long-term effect which will take years for people to change their diets into a healthier ones. That is why we do need a thorough evaluation of taxes to boost both physical and psychological community health.