The Robert Fico government wants to impose a special tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. (source: Sme - Jozef Jakubčo)
Plans to slap a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages have been welcomed by healthcare professionals but criticised by economic experts who say the levy will do little to tackle obesity and is really being introduced to shore up budget revenues.
The Finance Ministry has been tasked with preparing a tax on the drinks, but economic analysts and sweet beverage producers say as a single measure such a tax will not improve the country’s health.
“There is a danger that this ‘sugar tax’ will become just another thing taking money out of consumers’ pockets, but failing to meet its objective,” analysts Radovan Ďurana and Matej Bárna of the economic think tank INESS wrote in a study, called Sweet Tax Temptation, published in late October.
Slovaks have a sweet tooth
Slovaks have long been world leaders in sugar consumption, having doubled the amount they get through between 2000 and 2018 - even beating the US in consumption per capita in 2016 - according to a study published by the Globsec NGO in 2021.
Out of 38 OECD countries, Slovakia ranks fifth highest in sugar consumption.
