According to reports this morning the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan will apparently announce that a sugar tax will be introduced in next month’s budget.
However the new levy may not be fully implemented until 2018. The news comes as a number of Government sources claim that Mr Noonan is fully commitment to introducing a new tax on sugar-sweetened drinks and other items.
The move which will be widely welcomed by healthcare professionals, will follow other countries such as the UK who have also decided to introduce a similar tax system.
The Government say the tax is being implemented due to growing concerns over Ireland’s obesity problems.
Latest figures show that Ireland has one of the worst records in the EU for obesity in young children and adults.