Sugar tax on drinks being floated by Surrey Board of Trade

How would you feel about paying a tax on sugary drinks?

The idea is being floated by the Surrey Board of Trade, claiming the growing rate of Type 2 diabetes has a direct impact on productivity.

The board is now calling for an excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. They claim for each worker diagnosed with Type 2 it costs more than $400 in lost productivity each year.

By discouraging consumption, the board says productivity could increase.

“Over a half of those people with Type 2 diabetes have productivity issues as it relates to the workplace,” said Anita Huberman from the Surrey Board of Trade.

“Other research by the Canadian Diabetes Association also indicates that declining consumption of sugary sweet beverages also has an impact on Type 2 diabetes.”

In March, a senate committee report found Canada’s Food Guide is in need of an drastic overhaul to help combat the country’s obesity crisis.

“Canada’s dated food guide is no longer effective in providing nutritional guidance to Canadians,” the report said. “Fruit juice, for instance, is presented as a health item, when it is little more than a soft drink without the bubbles.”

On average, about 13 per cent of calories consumed in Canada come from sugar, according to Canada’s Heart and Stroke Foundation. That’s at least three per cent too much.

-With files from The Canadian Press