Curbing Ireland’s Sweet Tooth: The Irish Excise Duty Tax on Sugar-Sweetened Drinks
Understanding the Reasoning, Implementation, and Efficacy
Key Policy Points
- As of 7 January 2021, 45 countries, cities, and regions have implemented SSD taxes through excise, ad valorem, volumetric, and import taxes. On 1 May 2018, Ireland implemented the Sugar-Sweetened Drink Tax (SSDT) as the State’s first version of an excise tax on water and juice-based SSDs based on the concentration of sugar per hectoliter.
- The impact of SSD taxes may take years to be represented in population health (obesity prevalence and chronic disease outcomes); therefore, long-term health and economic implications require more research in the coming years.
- Earmarking tax revenues from sugar-sweetened beverages can assist in funneling financial resources to public health initiatives and ensure transparency of tax revenues to improve the country and regional health outcomes further.
- Further research is required on the environmental impacts of SSD consumption and the potential benefits of SSDT on the environment, particularly water usage and carbon emissions.