THE policy paper issued by the Treasury proposing an excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, equivalent to 20%, on Coca-Cola, which contains 35g of sugar per 330ml serving, claims that such a tax will have a significant effect on obesity rates. However, a detailed look at the science shows this is not true.This emerges from a submission by the South African Institute for Race Relations on the Treasury policy paper (to which I contributed substantial research).In support of its contention, the Treasury relies on a paper that attempts to quantify the effect of a 20% tax on such drinks. It was written by researchers including Mercy Manyema and Karen Hofman of Wits University with the explicit aim to "enable the [Department of Health] to consider [a sugar-sweetened beverage tax] as a lever to prevent and reduce the burden of disease resulting from obesity-related [noncommunicable diseases]".The Manyema paper claims to "provide evidence on the potential effect of fiscal policy on sugar-...
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