Sugar tax is towards postponement but there is a scope problem

The introduction of the sugar tax (a tax on drinks containing sugar) may be postponed until 2025. No official statement has been made yet, but the majority is united and now determined to find a way out of this impasse. “According to Palazzo Chigi sources, the Council Presidency and the Ministry of Economy are working to find a solution that allows the tax on sugary drinks, the so-called ‘sugar tax’, to be postponed until 2025.” This tax, along with the super bonus credit spread, has become a political cause, given Forza Italia’s open opposition to the introduction of the tax. But now we will need to find the resources necessary to achieve this even without the revenue the measure guarantees. The league aims to reduce funds allocated to international missions, but balance has not yet been achieved at this point.

The measure, approved by the Conte 2 government in 2020 and subject to various postponements, targets drinks (sodas, fruit juices, energy drinks) containing more than 25 grams of sugar per liter. There is an additional charge of 10 cents per liter for these drinks and 25 cents per kilo for products to be diluted. However, in the reduced version developed by the Meloni government, the tax is halved (at least for the first six months): 5 euros per hectolitre, while for products prepared for use after dilution, the fee is equal to 0.13 euros per kilogram. In any case, the tax can now be deferred until 2025.

Minister of Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti said, “I am not happy with the sugar tax coming into force.” “The last budget made an effort to postpone the law to July, and we made further efforts by halving the amount expected to come into force on July 1 with the amendment. We are currently working hard to find the financial guarantee to come into force until January 1, 2025. “I believe we will get there eventually, but I believe it is not the central theme of the government’s economic policy.”