Sugar Tax Information

On 6th April 2018, the UK government will be introducing a new levy on soft drinks containing added sugar, known as the Sugar Tax. This will affect UK producers of soft drinks, importers of soft drinks, retailers of soft drinks and consumers who buy soft drinks in the UK.

How does it work?

The levy will apply to the producers and importers of added sugar soft drinks, and has a lower and higher rate dependant on the quantity of sugar added.

It will not apply to any drink where no sugar is added.

Does it include any other types of drinks?

Alcoholic drinks with an Alcohol by volume of up to 1.2% are included in the levy. The government will make provision to exempt certain drinks that fall within this category from the levy.

Drinks such as pure fruit juice, drinks containing no added sugar and drinks with 75% milk content are exempt from the levy.

So, the tax will be passed to the consumer?

We will be doing our very best to minimise the impact of the levy on our pricing, but, invariably, the price of certain added sugar drinks is likely to rise in line with the introduction of the levy, as it is passed on down the supply chain. It is also worth pointing out that many of the leading drinks manufacturers have already reformulated a significant proportion of their product range to minimise the impact of the introduction of the tax.

A more detailed explanation of the levy can be found on the government website here

Coca Cola have produced a guide to the tax on their customer hub which can be viewed/downloaded here