Who Manual On Sugar Sweetened Beverage Taxation Policies To Promote Healthy Diets PDF Download

The increasing consumption of sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSBs), including soda, fruit punches, sweetened tea, sports drinks, energy drinks and all other beverages with added caloric sweeteners, has been linked to increases in obesity and several chronic diseases, most notably type 2 diabetes. In the face of a dual epidemic of obesity and diabetes, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently advocated fiscal policies and local ordinances as a possible strategy to discourage the consumption of foods and beverages such as SSBs that are high in calories but low in nutritional value. In addition to existing sales taxes levied in several states, public health experts have proposed an excise tax on these beverages to further discourage consumption of these "empty calories". This report evaluates the potential economic and health impact of a hypothetical penny‐an‐ounce tax for New York State. We estimate that the proposed tax has the potential to result in a 20‐25% increase in SSB prices in retail outlets and a 15‐20% reduction in the overall consumption of these beverages among New York State residents. From a health perspective, the expected reduction in SSB consumption could potentially prevent ~37,400 diabetes cases within the next decade, saving approximately $1.2 billion dollars in medical costs. In addition, the tax could potentially prevent 145,000 adults from becoming obese, translating into $2.1 billion dollars of direct savings from medical expenditure attributable to obesity. The health benefit and medical savings are larger among African Americans and Hispanics than among non‐Hispanic Whites. Lower income individuals are expected to accrue a disproportionally larger share of the health benefit. An excise tax will also generate tax revenue close to $1 billion each year for the State, a significant fiscal resource that could be used to support education programs and infrastructure designed to promote healthy eating and active living for the New York State population.