254 deputies voted to adopt the new tax, while 169 were against and 16 abstained.
The new bill, adopted by the Sejm, lower chamber of Polish parliament on Friday, also introduces a fee of PLN 1 on each bottle of alcohol sold up to 300 ml, as well as a fee of PLN 0.70 or PLN 0.80 for a sweetened drink, in addition to a fee for advertising dietary supplements.
Budget revenue from the new tax is set to fund educational campaigns and tackling the problem of obesity, as part of government's effort to promote pro-health consumer choices.
According to Poland's Health Minister Łukasz Szumowski, Poles consume “100 litres of sweetened drinks per person per year.”
“Sometimes analyses show that in the case of children carbonated sweetened drinks may make up 40 to 60 percent of the total calorie needs per day," Szumowski added.
The new regulations are set to take effect on April 1, 2020.
(tf)
Source: PAP