Less VAT on fruit and vegetables, more on sugar
Almost 9 out of 10 visitors to PlusOnline agree with the statement ‘Better extra VAT on soft drinks than on apples and tomatoes.’ So there is a lot of support for these proposed tax measures to make everyone eat healthier.
Last week the RIVM brought a report with advice that leads to healthier living habits for the entire population. One of the recommendations is to increase the VAT on sugar bombs (such as soft drinks) and to lower the VAT on fruit and vegetables. This makes a healthier choice a more economical choice. More than 2300 people have responded to the statement ‘Better extra VAT on soft drinks than on apples and tomatoes’. As many as 87 percent of the 2300 people appear to be in favor of it.
Support grows
Studies have known for some time how effective it is to make sugary soft drinks more expensive, for example, but politicians are still hesitant to introduce a sugar tax. The sugar tax was also considered when the previous National Prevention Agreement was drawn up, but it was not chosen at that time. Support for suitertax was lower in previous PlusOnline polls. In 2018, only 54 percent of visitors voted for the statement ‘Sugar tax is a good idea’. So a significant portion of the people didn’t think it was such a good idea. A statement in 2019 did not yet generate the current enthusiasm. 52 percent of the people agreed with the statement ‘With a sugar tax I will live a healthier life’. The combination with a reduction in VAT on fruit and vegetables may be the decisive factor this time around, as almost 9 out of 10 people are ahead of it.
