Milkshakes and lattes to be hit with sugar tax, Wes Streeting announces

Milkshakes and lattes volition beryllium deed with a sweetener taxation for the archetypal clip successful a bid to tackle obesity, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said.

The determination is expected to impact packaged milkshakes and coffees, not drinks made successful cafes and restaurants.

Milk-based drinks are presently exempt from the sweetener taxation imposed connected brushed drinks.

This was introduced by the Conservatives successful 2018, affecting drinks with astatine slightest 5g of sweetener per 100ml.

As good arsenic extending the levy to milk-based products, the authorities volition little the threshold astatine which it tin apply.

There has been a 46% simplification successful sweetener successful fizzy drinks since the archetypal taxation came into force, with 89% of brushed drinks sold successful the UK present not paying the complaint owed to reformulation.

Modelling studies person recovered that this whitethorn person prevented thousands of cases of puerility obesity and reduced bony decay.

However, the Labour authorities said UK sweetener intakes stay astir treble the recommended level and launched a consultation successful April to widen the tax.

The measurement volition beryllium included successful Rachel Reeves's fund connected Wednesday, erstwhile the chancellor is expected to denote a bid of smaller taxation rises to capable a £30bn blackhole, aft scrapping a program to rise income tax.

This breaking quality communicative is being updated and much details volition beryllium published shortly.

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