Politicians are considering
taxing soft drinks more heavily...
PHOTO: INGAR
STORFJELL
...and cutting taxes on fruit
and vegetables.
PHOTO: INGAR
STORFJELL
|
Norway has a long tradition of punitively taxing
luxury items and products like alcoholic beverages and
tobacco. Now the politicians are going after products
that contain a lot of sugar, or are considered
unhealthy.
That includes soft drinks and sweets, including
chocolate. The current center-left coalition government
already has eased taxes on sparkling water and raised
them a bit on sugary sodas.
Some health advocates are arguing in favour of
doubling the local version of sales tax (25 percent VAT
called "moms") on soft drinks (called brus in
Norway) and removing tax from fruit. "The problem is
that we eat much too much sugar... too little fruit and
vegetables, and too many processed foods like potato
chips," Haakon Meyer, leader of a national nutrition
council (Nasjonalt råd for ernæring) told
newspaper Aftenposten.
A formal report from the ruling government coalition
claims that "special taxes on unhealthy products can be
one of several methods of improving nutrition among the
population." Health Minister Sylvia Brustad remains
non-commital about what measures may ultimately be
taken.
"I can't say anything about what or when (any changes
will occur)," she told Aftenposten. That's
apparently because the three parties making up the
government have different opinions on the matter, and
need to iron out their differences first.
A random sampling of consumer opinion seems to
support a change. "When a liter of milk costs as much as
a soft drink, something's wrong," said Helene Drivenes
of Ås, one of several consumers questioned by
Aftenposten.
