Despite
my curvy shape, you won’t see much sugary stuff in BattleAxe Towers – it would
only blunt the effect of my acid tongue!
The
Budget saw both the introduction of the Sugar Tax on soft drinks and my heart
sinking. I foresee long, complex tax
cases on whether a particular drink is in or out – just as we saw the great VAT
fight over whether a Jaffa Cake is a cake or a biscuit (it’s a cake and so VAT
free in case you’re interested).
Don’t
get me wrong, I am fully aware of the obesity challenge in this country – one
look round at my Battle-Boxing class is enough to re-enforce that message. But why have milk based drinks and highly
processed fruit juices been exempted? Also, what about sweets (good 18th
century precedent for taxing that one), beer, cider and spirits (he didn’t put
duty up here either) and hidden sugar in processed foods, especially things
claiming to be low fat?
The
Sugar Tax won’t stop people switching from a can of pop to having a hot
chocolate drink and then loading in three heaped spoonfuls of sugar or
consuming a breakfast bar which claims to be “100% natural” and therefore
“healthy” but is laden with sugar. Either refined sugar is bad for us or it’s
not! And by the way, the “natural” tag
often baffles me – belladonna and even rhubarb leaves are eminently natural yet
both are poisonous!
This
all feels like pandering to a certain very noisy chef, some PR savvy doctors
and assorted other campaigners who appear to regard soft drinks as the sole
cause of the nation’s obesity problem – it’s nothing to do with educating the
nation into eating and exercising sensibly, of course.
And
don’t forget, there is somewhat of a history of the Treasury raising money from
things people “enjoy” while failing to achieve the equivalent saving elsewhere. The original Sugar Tax in the 18th
century raised vast amounts (£3M in 1815 alone) and was still doing so in 1874
when it was abolished. It is estimated
that the new Sugar Tax will raise more than £900M a year extra in tax if the
public’s behaviour doesn’t change – somehow I doubt it will save that much for
the NHS in reduced costs.
Let
us also remember that, in an emergency, some diabetics (including Type 1, who
are actually born with the condition) use sugary drinks to deliver, very
effectively, the life-saving hit of sugar they need. Are they going to have to keep their drinks
receipts and claim the tax back from the NHS?
I
for one would much rather see social engineering done by encouraging good
behaviour – like eating vegetables; encouraging and supporting exercise for all
ages; and explaining proper nutrition to our children in schools. It amazes me that kids are still being taught
how to bake cakes and biscuits rather than how to budget for, cook and serve up
a range of balanced and tasty meals.
Whilst
we are at it, why not make sure that British farmers get a fair deal from the
big supermarkets, instead of relying on ill directed subsidies, so that their
truly healthy produce can be sold at a sensible price?
So,
while we wait for the devils to appear from the detail of the rest of the
Budget (the lack of headline grabbing items always makes my Research Elves
suspect the worst bits just didn’t get a mention while the Chancellor was on
his feet), I’m off for a Rolling Pin Workout (think Indian Clubs but with more
flour…) – which I’m sure must burn off a whole raft of calories!
