Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

At least drinking milk is for a good cause. There is a big difference between a glass of milk and a glass of Coke. Deputy Boyd Barrett is scraping the bottom of the can in support of his amendment.

The sugar tax is a good measure but it will not be the be all and end all. We must do much more as a society to tackle obesity, which will require more than taxation measures, although these also have a role to play. That is the reason I am pleased to support the measure.

My only concern is that all forms of taxation need to have a shock effect and achieving this is a balancing act. I am not sure the levy is set at a sufficiently high level. Sinn Féin, in our alternative budget, went further than the Minister's proposal on the basis that a significant increase in price is needed to achieve a change in behaviour. If one incrementally increases a tax, people become used to paying a little extra and they are not presented with an in-your-face choice as to whether they wish to continue down a particular route or consider alternatives.

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