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Soft drink tax 'would cut heart attacks and rising levels of obesity'
By JENNY HOPE
PUBLISHED: 02:14 GMT, 16 May 2012 | UPDATED: 06:31 GMT, 16 May 2012
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Slapping a 20 per cent ‘fat tax’ onsoft drinks would cut consumption and help curb rising levels of obesity in the UK, claim experts at Oxford University.
Dr Oliver Mytton and Dr Mike Rayner of the Department of Public Health at Oxfordsaid a tax of around 20 per cent - roughly equivalent to extending VAT - could lead to a drop in obesity-related diseases.
Estimates suggest taxing sugary drinks and other unhealthy foods could cutup to 2,700 heart disease deaths a year.

Unhealthy: Experts suggest that taxing sugary drinks and other unhealthy foods could cut 2,700 heart disease deaths a year and combat rising levels ofobesity
Denmark became the first country in the world to introduce a fat tax last October, with a surcharge on foods high in saturated fat, while France has taxed sweetened drinks.
Prime Minister DavidCameron has said the coalition would consider following its example as a way of tackling Britain’s growing obesity levels.
In a summary of evidence in the British Medical Journal the researchers claimpoor diets in the UK must be tackled.
 
Dr Rayner said ‘Obesity has rocketed recently and if anything our diet is getting worse. We need to take steps to tackle this problem as a nation. 
It’saffecting our health and it’s affecting our wallets through the increased burden on the NHS and the taxpayer.
‘David Cameron said that he wanted to look at fat taxes last October. He should nowcommission an independent review of the existing evidence that looks at the options for taxing unhealthy foods.’ 
The Oxford team claim government intervention such as taxation can be justified when themarket fails to provide the ‘optimum’ good for society’s well-being, as with the duties on alcohol and tobacco, for example.

Following their lead: David Cameron has said Britain could copy Denmark...