Doctors renew calls for Australian sugar tax

Author: xinhua

Australia’s top doctors’ body has renewed calls for a tax on sugary drinks, warning the country risks being left behind on the issue.

According to the Australian Medical Association (AMA), a tax of 40 cents for every 100 grams of sugar added to beverages would help lower the obesity rate and raise funds for public health campaigns. It said if Australia joined 85 countries and regions around the world in implementing such a tax, the government could collect an extra 814 million Australian dollars (563.6 million U.S. dollars) annually in revenue.

“Australians drink enough sugary drinks to fill 960 Olympic swimming pools each year. We need something to help people choose water instead,” Danielle McMullen, the AMA’s vice president, said in a media release on Friday. “Over a 25-year period, we estimate this would result in 16,000 fewer cases of type 2 diabetes, 4,400 fewer cases of heart disease and 1,100 fewer cases of stroke.”

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