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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] A proposal has been introduced to implement a tiered sugar tax on beverages such as soft drinks, based on their sugar content.
Professor Park Eun-chul of Yonsei University’s Institute for Health Policy and Management presented the proposal in a policy paper ahead of a joint forum hosted by the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, Korea Rural Economic Institute, and Korea Institute of Public Finance.
The proposal suggests a three-tier tax structure:
No tax for beverages containing less than 5g of sugar per 100ml
KRW 225 per liter for beverages containing 5g to less than 8g per 100ml
KRW 300 per liter for beverages containing 8g or more per 100ml
Under this system, popular beverages such as Coca-Cola, Chilsung Cider, and Red Bull would fall into the highest tax bracket.
For example, a 250ml can containing around 27g of sugar would incur an additional KRW 75 in tax, while a 500ml bottle would face approximately KRW 150.
Currently, retail prices for such beverages in convenience stores range around KRW 1,700 for 250ml and KRW 2,300–2,400 for 500ml.
The proposal is expected to spark debate over public health benefits versus potential price burdens on consumers.
알파경제 Paul Lee 특파원(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
