成绩单 对糖的健康风险的担忧是有根据的,现在超过一半的英国人支持征收糖税。但这就是答案吗?这些数字加起来了吗?原罪税等平直的间接税对最贫困人口的打击最大。收入最低的五分之一的人适度喝酒、抽烟和开车,他们将家庭可支配收入的37%花在了罪恶税和增值税上。收入排在前五分之一的人的可比数字是15%,而且几乎没有证据表明,含糖饮料价格的上涨会促使人们选择更健康的替代品。2011年10月,丹麦开始对饱和脂肪含量高的食品征税。这一解决肥胖问题的措施使得披萨、油、乳制品、培根和黄油的价格更加昂贵。但一年后,税收被取消了。为什么? Well, authorities said the measure had inflated food prices so much that jobs were at risk, and some people were just crossing the border to Germany to get their food. Also, sellers can just discount the prices. For example, in Berkeley, California where a sugar tax was adopted, only 22 percent of it was passed on to consumers. So the shops were taking the hit. In the US, consumption of fizzy drinks has fallen by 25 percent over the past decade, but this is largely due to the wider awareness around health and other policies. It's also fallen in places where there hasn't been any talk of a sugar tax, so it can't all be down to one single policy. So, make no mistake, sugary soft drinks have a ruinous effect on people's health, and government must do something to tackle the obesity crisis, but before we introduce a sugar tax, we need to get our numbers in order.