UK soda tax introduced in bold move against childhood obesity

Not many people saw it coming. But the UK just announced a big bold tax on soda, as a major part of their childhood obesity strategy. Britain joins a growing number of other countries, like Mexico, with similar taxes on sugar and soda.
BBC News: Sugar tax: How bold is it?
BBC News: Sugar tax: How it will work?
Telegraph: Sugar tax: what does it mean and who will be affected
The role of government
Many people are skeptical that a tax is the right way to solve problems. To me that is a political question and this is not a political blog. Fact is, governments are already taxing and regulating other addictive and potentially harmful substances, like tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.
It is clear that sugar has addictive qualities and excessive sugar intake, particularly from soda, drives our current epidemics of obesity, diabetes and other diseases. Maybe it is a bigger threat to public health than tobacco. Certainly for kids it is.
And so, people who feel that taxation and regulation is wrong for any drug – that’s a perfectly reasonable view. But if governments are supposed to tax and regulate things like tobacco, it should also use the same tools to protect our children from harm from sugar.
The fight is on
There are other tools – education, perhaps most importantly, and also regulation. But this is an important step.
I think this soda tax in the UK is a big bold move that has massive symbolic value. The fight is on and sugar is the new tobacco.
We’ve seen massive health gains in the last 50 years from people to a large degree giving up smoking in the developed world. The future health gains from reducing sugar consumption may be even more impressive.
Jamie Oliver
The celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has been campaigning for this tax, here are a couple of reactions from him.
Clueless.
Next, we can expect the anti-fat advocates
being elated when government institutes
a tax on "added fat." And just what problem
will that solve?
Be careful what you wish for...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyZ5hzEWj4w
I agree with them, this doesn't fix the problem and hurts the people who are government mismanagement victims to begin with even more.
The slippery slope argument is unconvincing. Refined sugar is qualitatively quite different from an intact cut of beef in many respects. On the other hand, highly refined vegetable oil is qualitatively similar. I'm content to fight those battles when they come using contemporary science. The days are over when dieticians ruled the Earth.
That was a slippery slope.
One is too many and a thousand never enough.
They just want the money. Philadelphia taxes sugar and sugar-free drinks. To fight obesity.
And it feels so good to be able to coerce other people on how to conduct their lives in the prescribed manner...you know, like the low fat thing. It's for their own good, right?
Doctor, heal thyself...