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Tax sugary drinks, yogurt

I refer to the report “Changing lifestyles, obesity lead to more young people getting diabetes” (Nov 16). The state should treat sugary drinks and sugary yogurt the same as cigarettes by imposing a tax.

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Francis Cheng Choon Fei

I refer to the report “Changing lifestyles, obesity lead to more young people getting diabetes” (Nov 16). The state should treat sugary drinks and sugary yogurt the same as cigarettes by imposing a tax.

This is happening around the world. Chile, France, Hungary, Mexico and the United States, among other countries, have introduced such a tax. Singapore should too.

Diabetes is a growing problem, with Singapore having the second highest percentage of diabetics in the developed world.

While it is not the Government’s business to decide what people should eat and drink, it is obliged to ensure that people do not burden the state’s medical resources.

Retailers would pass sugar taxes on to consumers, and higher prices may crimp demand for sugary drinks and sugary yogurt. We must start somewhere to gauge the effect on consumers.

Western countries that imposed sugar taxes found that overall sales and consumption fell; people chose bottled water as an alternative. Low-income households may be compelled to cut their consumption and switch to plain boiled water.

If implemented, the taxes must be in place long enough to assess their impact on public health.

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