The sugar tax which was planned to be introduced on 06 April, will now not be introduced until 01 May.

The tax on sugar sweetened drinks or the sugar tax will now not be introduced until 01 May 2018, the Department of Finance has confirmed.

The tax was planned to commence this Friday, 06 April however, in a statement the Department of Finance said, “to allow for completion of the necessary administrative processes in relation to State aid approval, the commencement of the tax on sugar-sweetened drinks will now take place on Tuesday, 01 May 2018.

“The sugar-sweetened drinks tax is the first of its kind to be reviewed by the European Commission and will provide a benchmark for State aid decisions in this area. Key stakeholders have already been informed of this development,” the Department added.

According to the Department of Finance, “the sugar-sweetened drinks tax is designed to help tackle growing levels of obesity. The World Health Organisation recommend limiting consumption of sugar sweetened drinks as part of a strategy to tackle obesity. This tax is one of a suite of measures being implemented as part of an overarching policy framework to address this issue. It is hoped that the introduction of a financial barrier on sugar-sweetened drinks will result in reduced consumption by incentivising individuals to opt for healthier drinks in tandem with providing motivation for the soft drinks industry to reformulate by reducing added sugar content and delivering healthier products.”

It is estimated that a 20 per cent levy on sugary drinks will reduce obesity levels by 3per cent which is approximately 22,000 people.

As part of its fight against childhood obesity, the Irish Heart Foundation has long campaigned for the introduction of a sugar tax.

Commenting Mr Chris Macey, Head of Advocacy at the Irish Heart Foundation said, “We eagerly await the introduction of the sugar sweetened drinks tax on May 1st and note that given the major reductions in sugar content that have been reported by manufacturers, it is already having a significant positive effect.”