Q&A: Tax the sugar, not the drink

Soda taxes have been implemented recently in various cities as a way to curb obesity and diabetes. In the U.S., the tax depends on the drink size, but researchers behind a new policy paper in Science argue that taxing the amount of sugar in each drink would be more effective. They estimate that, compared to a volume-based tax, a sugar-based tax could lead to an additional 630,000 adults to no longer be obese, and 11,000 fewer type 2 diabetes cases per year. I spoke to Anna Grummon, a public health researcher at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and an author of the study to learn more. 

Is there reason to believe the current taxes aren’t working? 

I wouldn’t say that current taxes aren’t working, but changes [to sugar-based] could make them work better. 

Is there a precedent for this kind of sugar-based tax? 

South Africa taxes grams of sugar. It was implemented relatively recently, so it’s too soon to tell what the benefits are. Outside nutrition, you could look at taxes on carbon, which is one way to reduce harm.