Lee asks public for its opinion on a sugar tax to curb intake, bolster public health care funding

President Lee Jae Myung asked the public on Wednesday for its opinion on a sugar tax to help curb sugar intake and bolster public health care funding.

“Just like we did for cigarettes, we could curb the use of sugar through a levy on sugar and reinvest this revenue to strengthen regional and public health care...what do you think?” Lee wrote on X after posting a news article about a survey showing that around eight in 10 Koreans supported imposing a levy on companies that use excessive amounts of sugar in their products.

Under the National Health Promotion Act, the National Health Promotion Fund is primarily funded by a tobacco tax and is used for various antismoking and health care programs.

According to the report that Lee cited, more than 120 countries are implementing sugar taxes or similar measures based on the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendations — either through flat excise taxes, such as in Mexico, or through tiered systems based on sugar content, such as in Britain.

Overconsumption of sugar is a major contributor to lifestyle diseases, including obesity, diabetes and tooth decay, according to WHO. 

Sugar taxes are commonly targeted at sweetened beverages as they are a large source of added sugar in diets and do not provide satiety, unlike solid food.

BY KIM JU-YEON, YONHAP [[email protected]]