UK: Should dairy drinks and RTD coffee be included in soda taxes?

The UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) was introduced in 2018 and has generally been considered successful in its goals to reduce sugar intake from sugary drinks and encouraging reformulation across the beverage industry. But milk-based drinks have had an exemption from the outset. Now, the UK government is setting out to revamp the SDIL: and a key question it is pondering is whether milk-based drinks should be included.​ If it goes ahead and includes them, it would be among the first to target milkshakes and RTD coffees for their sugar content. In the UK, milk-based drinks currently escape the SDIL on the condition they contain at least 75ml of milk per 100ml. That exemption was created to ensure the levy did not disincentivize calcium consumption, particularly among young people. In an effort to treat both animal milk and plant-based alternatives fairly, milk substitutes such as soya or almond milk are also exempt from the SDIL - providing they contain at least 120mg of calcium ...