this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2026
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The levy as outlined in the article, as @blind3rdeye@aussie.zone pointed out, is intended to be passed on to the consumer, with the price increase causing people to consume fewer sugary drinks. If they didn't pass it on, it would have no effect on dental health.
From the article:
However, there are ways you can design a policy like this to reduce the cost to consumers while still having an effect on dental health. In the UK, their levy is only applied to a drink "if it contains at least 5 grams (g) of sugar per 100 millilitres (ml) in its ready to drink or diluted form." As as result, the UK soft drink industry reformulated their drinks to fall below that amount (often by partially substituting non-sugar sweeteners) so that they wouldn't have to pay the tax at all and they wouldn't need to pass it on to consumers or absorb it.
From the article:
The study (https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/4/3/e002110) actually modelled the effect of reformulation, too:
Since the UK's policy has resulted in a 46% reformulation, we have a clear real-world template for bringing about a 50% reformulation and the health benefits that would accompany it.