B.C. Government Introduces Taxes on Soda Citing Health Issues Among Youth

In a move that was endorsed by charities like the Heart & Stroke foundation, The B.C government removed the tax exemption on soda drinks.

Feb 21, 2020 - EightSix Staff

The Heart & Stroke foundation, the Childhood Obesity Foundation, and Dietitians of Canada have jointly endorsed the B.C. government’s recent decision to remove the exemption of provincial tax on pop drinks.

The new tax is bad news for manufacturers of soft drinks like Coca-Cola, which employs 6200 Canadians and operates 6 plants in Canada. Nevertheless, research has shown that a majority of people in B.C. (79%) were in support of this move. Similar taxation plans have proven to be successful in decreasing consumption of sugary drinks in countries like Mexico and the U.K.

The Heart & Stroke foundation has identified sugary drinks as a public health hazard and predicted that it will be responsible for over a million cases of type 2 diabetes, and almost 40,000 strokes and 63,000 deaths. It states that the next move would be to remove the exception on all sugary drinks.

The tax of 7% will be come into effect on July 1st 2020. The government expects to the new tax to raise $27-37 million over the next two years.

Read full story: B.C. Government Introduces Taxes on Soda Citing Health Issues Among Youth - Published Feb 20, 2020 on Food In Canada