Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister-President Daniel Günther (CDU) has announced a legislative initiative aimed at introducing a nationwide sugar tax in Germany. Speaking to the newspaper Welt on Sunday, Günther said his state government plans to submit a proposal to the Bundesrat in the first quarter of next year. In addition, a corresponding motion is expected to be introduced at the CDU’s federal party conference in February.
Günther said that “a sugar tax is politically and economically long overdue, because excessive sugar consumption causes significant health problems and, as a result, enormous costs for society.” He added that he would prefer to address the issue without government regulation, but noted, “we are apparently not there yet.”
Calls for a sugar tax have recently gained momentum. The doctors’ association Marburger Bund has urged the federal government to introduce such a levy. A study published in April by the Forum for Ecological-Social Market Economy, commissioned by the environmental organization Greenpeace, estimated that sugar consumption leads to annual healthcare costs of nearly 12 billion euros in Germany due to associated risks such as diabetes, high blood pressure, tooth decay and periodontal disease.
According to the study, a sugar tax could help reduce the consumption of sugary products.
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