After teeth whitening at Time Dental in Farnham, Surrey

Well, nobody saw that one coming! George Osborn announced a tax to be placed on the volume of the sugar-sweetened drinks companies import or produce.

Jamie Oliver was around parliament that day when the Budget was announced and did a little victory dance. It was only in Autumn last year when the sugar tax was rejected by parliament.

The levy is being aimed at high sugar drinks, particularly fizzy drinks which are very popular amongst the youth. There are going to be two bands: a high band for the most sugary drinks with more than 8g / 100mL and another band for total sugar content above 5g /100mL.

Examples of drinks that fall under the high band would be drinks such as full- fat Coca-cola, Lucozade energy, Irn-bru, and Pepsi. The lower rate band would be drinks such as Sprite, Fanta, Schweppes Indian tonic water and Dr Pepper.

George Osborn predicts that the sugar tax will raise £520 million a year which he says will be spent on increasing the funding for sport in primary schools.

There are a number of reasons why the sugar tax is targeting drinks: They are the number one source of sugar amongst teenagers; the fizzy drinks are “empty calories” and have no nutritional benefit; they are extremely high in sugar- one 330ml can can contain 9 teaspoons of sugar which takes you above the daily recommendations in one hit; they are often not seen as a treat and part of everyday drink consumption.

There has been a mixed reaction to the sugar tax. I for one am for it. It will certainly raise awareness of sugar intake which will in turn help the public make a more informed choice. This will certainly have a positive impact on the children across the country.

If you’re looking for help with your dental health, call us on 01252 723 008 at Time Dental.