The sugar tax on sweet drinks, introduced almost eight years ago, has become “invisible” because of inflation and shifts in how products are sold, prompting academics to call for a significant increase. It is applied to cans, bottles, and litre-bottles of soft drinks, plant protein drinks, and drinks with milk fats. “The sugar tax needs to be significantly increased, index-linked, and amended to kick-in earlier. They called for a mandatory sugar tax logo on drinks containers and noted it was rare to see the tax listed on menus. Jeremy Auerbach, an assistant professor in the School of Geography at UCD, raised concerns over how the sugar tax was used by the Government.

Source: Irish Examiner April 08, 2026 17:24 UTC