There’s growing community support for the introduction of a sugar tax, according to the Cancer Council and the Heart Foundation. A new survey has found most people are in favour of a 20 per cent levy on sugary drinks.

Manille Lumayag reports.

TRANSCRIPT

The average Australian consumes 14 teaspoons of sugar every day and experts are worried.

Now a new survey has found 63% of Queenslanders are in favour of a sugar tax.

Gemma Lock, Cancer Council General Manager: “A 20% health levy on sugar-sweetened beverages would help people deter from purchasing sugar-sweetened beverages and also help relieve some of the costs associated with obesity and our public health care system.”

The State Government has already banned sugary drinks in public hospitals and there’s plenty of community support for a sugar tax.

Vox Pop: “I think It’s a good idea because people aren’t going to do it unless there’s some reason to do it.”

Vox pop: “I think it’s ok, I mean sugar isn’t really good anyway so a tax is not that bad.”

Today this drink costs $2.50 but with the sugar levy the price would jump to $3 and some are concerned this could be expensive for lower socioeconomic communities.”

Better education could be the key.

Stephen Vines, Heart Foundation CEO: “We believe they’re the areas where we do need to invest more in prevention and in helping people in low socioeconomic areas to make the health choice, the easy choice.”

Funds raised by the levy could be used to subsidise healthy food and invest in school nutrition programs.

Manille Lumayag, QUT News.