Latest news with #InstituteforEconomicAffairs
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UK and Netherlands among Europe's most 'overbearing' nanny states
While the UK and the Netherlands are arguably the historic homelands of libertarian and free-market economic philosophy and personal freedoms, at least in Europe, turns out they have morphed into two of the most 'paternalistic' of the continent's so-called nanny states. The 2025 Nanny State Index, published by London-based Institute for Economic Affairs and the Brussels-based European Policy Information Centre, lists Turkey, Lithuania and Finland as the most restrictive places to drink alcohol, smoke, vape and snack, with the UK the seventh-worst and the Netherlands close behind at 12th on the list of most "overbearing" countries. The UK's ranking would likely have been close to bottom had the government not withdrawn a proposal made last year to ban smoking outdoors in beer gardens. Germany, with its history of sternly Prussian or green or social democrat-tinted statism - turns out to be Europe's closest thing to libertarian utopia, with Luxembourg next and the top five of the 29-country league table rounded out by Italy, Spain and Czechia. Ireland, with its pub-crawl image and popularity with tourists from the US (the self-styled 'land of the free') fares worse than the UK, coming in as mollycoddler number five in the 2025 index. Ireland's visitor numbers have plummeted thios year, with the first two months seeing drops of around 20% compared to 2024 as complaints soar about the high cost of hotels, transport and beer. The Netherlands, and Amsterdam in particular, has long been known for its permissiveness and anything-goes aura. But recent years have seen city authorities and locals in Amsterdam rail against ill-behaved visitors to its marijuana cafes and red-light district. Policies such as sugar taxes, curbs on smoking in public, high duties on alcohol and cigarettes and related advertising bans were considered in the compiling of the latest index, which the IEA has been updating since first publishing in 2016. "Insofar as public health campaigners acknowledge the damage done by their policies, they argue that it is more than offset by the benefit to health - the ends justify the means," the index report authors said. "But there is little evidence that countries with more paternalistic policies enjoy greater health or longevity," they claimed.
The Independent
29-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Milkshakes face price hike under government plans to extend sugar tax
The government is proposing to extend the sugar tax on fizzy drinks to include milkshakes and similar drinks, impacting both dairy-based and non-dairy alternatives. the move follows Chancellor Rachel Reeves ' announcement in the autumn budget last year that the government would explore expanding the tax to encompass these beverages. The plans, which remove an exemption for these drinks from the existing levy, are now open for public consultation. The Treasury confirmed plans to press ahead with the changes on Monday, as well as a proposal to reduce the maximum amount of sugar allowed in drinks before they become subject to the levy from 5g to 4g per 100ml. As a result of widespread reformulation after the initial announcement of the so-called soft drinks industry levy (SDIL), 89% of fizzy drinks sold in the UK do not pay the tax, the Treasury said. Some 203 pre-packed milk-based drinks on the market, which make up 93% of sales within the category, will be hit with the tax unless their sugar content is reduced under the new proposals, according to Government analysis. The SDIL was introduced by the previous Tory government in April 2018 as part of its anti-obesity drive. The exemption for milk-based drinks was included because of concerns about calcium consumption, particularly among children. However, the Treasury said young people only get 3.5% of their calcium intake from such drinks, meaning 'it is also likely that the health benefits do not justify the harms from excess sugar'. 'By bringing milk-based drinks and milk substitute drinks into the SDIL, the Government would introduce a tax incentive for manufacturers of these drinks to build on existing progress and further reduce sugar in their recipes,' it said. The Institute for Economic Affairs, a right-wing free-market think tank, expressed concerns about the cost to consumers of the proposed changes. 'The sugar tax has been such a dramatic failure that it should be repealed, not expanded,' said Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the institute. 'Sugar taxes have never worked anywhere. What happened to Starmer's promise to not raise taxes on working people?' The Government consultation on the plans will run from Monday until July 21.
The Guardian
28-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Sugar tax could be applied to milkshakes under Treasury proposals
The sugar tax applied to fizzy drinks could be extended to milkshakes and similar treats under government proposals. Plans to end the exemption from the levy for dairy-based drinks, as well as non-dairy substitutes such as oats or rice, were put out for consultation on Monday. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, had said in her autumn budget last year that the government would consider broadening the tax to include such drinks. The Treasury confirmed plans to press ahead with the changes on Monday, as well as a proposal to reduce the maximum amount of sugar allowed in drinks before they become subject to the levy from 5g to 4g per 100ml. As a result of widespread reformulation after the initial announcement of the so-called soft drinks industry levy (SDIL), 89% of fizzy drinks sold in the UK do not pay the tax, the Treasury said. An estimated 203 pre-packed milk-based drinks on the market, which make up 93% of sales within the category, will be hit with the tax unless their sugar content is reduced under the new proposals, according to government analysis. The SDIL was introduced by the Conservatives in April 2018 as part of their anti-obesity drive. The exemption for milk-based drinks was included because of concerns about calcium consumption, particularly among children. However, the Treasury said young people only get 3.5% of their calcium intake from such drinks, meaning 'it is also likely that the health benefits do not justify the harms from excess sugar'. 'By bringing milk-based drinks and milk substitute drinks into the SDIL, the government would introduce a tax incentive for manufacturers of these drinks to build on existing progress and further reduce sugar in their recipes,' it said. The Institute for Economic Affairs, a rightwing free-market thinktank, expressed concerns about the cost to consumers of the proposed changes. 'The sugar tax has been such a dramatic failure that it should be repealed, not expanded,' said Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the institute. 'Sugar taxes have never worked anywhere. What happened to Starmer's promise to not raise taxes on working people?' The government consultation on the plans will run from Monday until 21 July.
The Independent
28-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
The price of milkshakes is set to go up under new government plans
The government is proposing to extend the sugar tax on fizzy drinks to include milkshakes and similar drinks, impacting both dairy-based and non-dairy alternatives. the move follows Chancellor Rachel Reeves ' announcement in the autumn budget last year that the government would explore expanding the tax to encompass these beverages. The plans, which remove an exemption for these drinks from the existing levy, are now open for public consultation. The Treasury confirmed plans to press ahead with the changes on Monday, as well as a proposal to reduce the maximum amount of sugar allowed in drinks before they become subject to the levy from 5g to 4g per 100ml. As a result of widespread reformulation after the initial announcement of the so-called soft drinks industry levy (SDIL), 89% of fizzy drinks sold in the UK do not pay the tax, the Treasury said. Some 203 pre-packed milk-based drinks on the market, which make up 93% of sales within the category, will be hit with the tax unless their sugar content is reduced under the new proposals, according to Government analysis. The SDIL was introduced by the previous Tory government in April 2018 as part of its anti-obesity drive. The exemption for milk-based drinks was included because of concerns about calcium consumption, particularly among children. However, the Treasury said young people only get 3.5% of their calcium intake from such drinks, meaning 'it is also likely that the health benefits do not justify the harms from excess sugar'. 'By bringing milk-based drinks and milk substitute drinks into the SDIL, the Government would introduce a tax incentive for manufacturers of these drinks to build on existing progress and further reduce sugar in their recipes,' it said. The Institute for Economic Affairs, a right-wing free-market think tank, expressed concerns about the cost to consumers of the proposed changes. 'The sugar tax has been such a dramatic failure that it should be repealed, not expanded,' said Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the institute. 'Sugar taxes have never worked anywhere. What happened to Starmer's promise to not raise taxes on working people?' The Government consultation on the plans will run from Monday until July 21.
