This is what the Dutch association of Soft Drinks, Waters, Juices (FWS) said in an appeal to the cabinet and the House on Thursday. The trade association finds the doubling of the tax for sugary drinks as well as diet soft drinks and waters that contain little or no sugar ‘ineffective and irresponsible’.
It irritates the FWS that the cabinet is selling this tax increase, which makes a liter of soft drinks and water almost €0.15 more expensive, as a prevention measure to combat obesity, while it only fills the treasury. “This is careless and it does not promote health,” says FWS director Taco Jurriaanse. “First all drinks, whether they contain sugar or not, will become more expensive and only then will the cabinet investigate how this fits in with the principle of stimulating healthy choices and making unhealthy choices more difficult.”
Yo-yo policy
FWS calls this a ‘yo-yo policy’ that cannot be explained to consumers who already have a hard time making ends meet. The association of soft drink suppliers advocates a differentiated VAT increase before 2024, whereby sugary drinks will be, and juices and water will not become more expensive.