Tax sugary drinks - public dental health expert

A public dental health expert has told listeners of Melbourne radio station 3AW that a sugar tax is needed to combat dental caries, obesity and diabetes.He told presenter Tom Elliott that revenue could be used to fund health promotion and education programs, and relieve pressure on public dental waiting lists.

Earlier, in an editorial piece published in The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, Associate Professor Matthew Hopcraft, a former President of the ADAVB, said voters should use the July Federal election to tell the major parties that a sugar tax is needed.

He claimed that a tax on sugary beverages could raise up to $400 million a year. Making out the case for the tax, A/Prof Hopcraft wrote: “This is the only way to have a meaningful impact on the epidemic of diet-related diseases – tooth decay, obesity and diabetes – that are overwhelming our children”.

The UK Government recently announced a sugar tax.