Federal government throws cold water on so-called soda tax

By Cormac MacSweeney

OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – It looks like the Trudeau government is not so sweet on a so-called soda tax. Some Liberal MPs in Ontario want the government to make a tax on sugary drinks part of the party’s election platform.

The goal is to battle obesity, but Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor says it’s not on the agenda.

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“We certainly recognize that often times some vulnerable groups are the ones that perhaps will be purchasing these types of drinks and we certainly want to make sure that there’s no unintended consequences when it comes to that,” she added.

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It’s not the first time taxing sugary drinks has been publicly pitched, in 2016 a Senate committee recommended one as a part of its study of obesity in Canada.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau is also dismissing the idea as a potential proposal for the Liberal election platform.

“We, of course, are always going to look at ideas across the board for how we can make sure our system is fair, that is not currently something that’s on our agenda,” he added.

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