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Review: Taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages: Political economy, and effects on prices, purchases, and consumption

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  • Cawley, John
  • Frisvold, David

Abstract

In response to a rise in obesity and diet-related chronic diseases such as diabetes, countries worldwide have sought ways to incentivize healthier diets. One of the most common recent policies is taxing sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). This article introduces a virtual special collection of selected scholarship on SSB taxes that was published in Elsevier journals such as Food Policy, the Journal of Health Economics, and Economics & Human Biology. This article also summarizes the results of those studies regarding the political economy of SSB taxes, and how SSB taxes affect prices, sales, consumption, employment, and tax avoidance behaviors.

Suggested Citation

  • Cawley, John & Frisvold, David, 2023. "Review: Taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages: Political economy, and effects on prices, purchases, and consumption," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:117:y:2023:i:c:s0306919223000398
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102441
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. U. Michael Bergman & Niels Lynggård Hansen, 2019. "Are Excise Taxes on Beverages Fully Passed Through to Prices? The Danish Evidence," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 75(4), pages 323-356.
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    6. John Cawley & David Frisvold & Anna Hill & David Jones, 2020. "The Impact of the Philadelphia Beverage Tax on Prices and Product Availability," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(3), pages 605-628, June.
    7. Le Bodo, Y. & Etilé, F. & Gagnon, F. & De Wals, P., 2019. "Conditions influencing the adoption of a soda tax for public health: Analysis of the French case (2005–2012)," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    8. John Cawley & Michael Daly & Rebecca Thornton, 2022. "The effect of beverage taxes on youth consumption and body mass index: Evidence from Mauritius," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(6), pages 1033-1045, June.
    9. Rebecca L. C. Taylor & Scott Kaplan & Sofia B. Villas‐Boas & Kevin Jung, 2019. "Soda Wars: The Effect Of A Soda Tax Election On University Beverage Sales," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 57(3), pages 1480-1496, July.
    10. Cawley, John & Frisvold, David & Hill, Anna & Jones, David, 2020. "Oakland’s sugar-sweetened beverage tax: Impacts on prices, purchases and consumption by adults and children," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    11. Cawley, John & Frisvold, David & Hill, Anna & Jones, David, 2019. "The impact of the Philadelphia beverage tax on purchases and consumption by adults and children," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    12. Marinello, Samantha & Leider, Julien & Pugach, Oksana & Powell, Lisa M., 2021. "The impact of the Philadelphia beverage tax on employment: A synthetic control analysis," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    13. Stacey, Nicholas & Mudara, Caroline & Ng, Shu Wen & van Walbeek, Corné & Hofman, Karen & Edoka, Ijeoma, 2019. "Sugar-based beverage taxes and beverage prices: Evidence from South Africa's Health Promotion Levy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 1-1.
    14. Alsukait, Reem & Bleich, Sara & Wilde, Parke & Singh, Gitanjali & Folta, Sara, 2020. "Sugary drink excise tax policy process and implementation: Case study from Saudi Arabia," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    15. John Cawley & David E. Frisvold, 2017. "The Pass‐Through of Taxes on Sugar‐Sweetened Beverages to Retail Prices: The Case of Berkeley, California," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(2), pages 303-326, March.
    16. Li, Wenying & Dorfman, Jeffrey H., 2019. "The implications of heterogeneous habit in consumer beverage purchases on soda and sin taxes," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 111-120.
    17. Gonçalves, Judite & Pereira dos Santos, João, 2020. "Brown sugar, how come you taste so good? The impact of a soda tax on prices and consumption," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    18. He, Xiaoyang & Balagtas, Joseph V., 2022. "Spatial retail competition reduces the effects of soda taxes on price and quantity: Evidence from the Philadelphia Beverage Tax," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    19. Alsukait, Reem & Wilde, Parke & Bleich, Sara N. & Singh, Gitanjali & Folta, Sara C., 2020. "Evaluating Saudi Arabia’s 50% carbonated drink excise tax: Changes in prices and volume sales," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    20. Xiang, Di & Zhan, Lue & Bordignon, Massimo, 2020. "A reconsideration of the sugar sweetened beverage tax in a household production model," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    21. Sara Capacci & Olivier Allais & Celine Bonnet & Mario Mazzocchi, 2019. "The impact of the French soda tax on prices and purchases. An ex post evaluation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(10), pages 1-22, October.
    22. Sainsbury, Emma & Magnusson, Roger & Thow, Anne-Marie & Colagiuri, Stephen, 2020. "Explaining resistance to regulatory interventions to prevent obesity and improve nutrition: A case-study of a sugar-sweetened beverages tax in Australia," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    23. John Cawley & David Frisvold & David Jones, 2020. "The impact of sugar‐sweetened beverage taxes on purchases: Evidence from four city‐level taxes in the United States," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(10), pages 1289-1306, October.
    24. Powell, Lisa M. & Leider, Julien & Léger, Pierre Thomas, 2020. "The impact of the Cook County, IL, Sweetened Beverage Tax on beverage prices," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    25. Hunt Allcott & Benjamin B. Lockwood & Dmitry Taubinsky, 2019. "Should We Tax Sugar-Sweetened Beverages? An Overview of Theory and Evidence," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 33(3), pages 202-227, Summer.
    26. Zhang, Qi & McCluskey, Jill J. & Gallardo, R. Karina & Brady, Michael P., 2021. "Avoidance behaviors circumventing the sugar-sweetened beverages tax," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    27. John Cawley & David Frisvold & David Jones & Chelsea Lensing, 2021. "The Pass‐Through of a Tax on Sugar‐Sweetened Beverages in Boulder, Colorado," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(3), pages 987-1005, May.
    28. Cawley, John & Meyerhoefer, Chad, 2012. "The medical care costs of obesity: An instrumental variables approach," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 219-230.
    29. Jones-Smith, Jessica C. & Knox, Melissa A. & Coe, Norma B. & Walkinshaw, Lina P. & Schoof, John & Hamilton, Deven & Hurvitz, Philip M. & Krieger, James, 2022. "Sweetened beverage taxes: Economic benefits and costs according to household income," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    30. Campbell, Norah & Mialon, Melissa & Reilly, Kathryn & Browne, Sarah & Finucane, Francis M., 2020. "How are frames generated? Insights from the industry lobby against the sugar tax in Ireland," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    31. Leider, Julien & Powell, Lisa M., 2022. "Longer-term impacts of the Oakland, California, sugar-sweetened beverage tax on prices and volume sold at two-years post-tax," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    32. Jason M. Fletcher & David E. Frisvold & Nathan Tefft, 2015. "Non‐Linear Effects of Soda Taxes on Consumption and Weight Outcomes," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(5), pages 566-582, May.
    33. Paarlberg, Robert & Mozaffarian, Dariush & Micha, Renata, 2017. "Viewpoint: Can U.S. local soda taxes continue to spread?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 1-7.
    34. Schmacker, Renke & Smed, Sinne, 2020. "Do prices and purchases respond similarly to soft drink tax increases and cuts?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    35. Powell, Lisa M. & Leider, Julien, 2020. "The impact of Seattle’s Sweetened Beverage Tax on beverage prices and volume sold," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    36. Caro, Juan Carlos & Ng, Shu Wen & Taillie, Lindsey Smith & Popkin, Barry M., 2017. "Designing a tax to discourage unhealthy food and beverage purchases: The case of Chile," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 86-100.
    37. Pereda, Paula & Garcia, Carolina Policarpo, 2020. "Price impact of taxes on sugary drinks in Brazil," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 39(C).
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    1. Fanzo, Jessica & McLaren, Rebecca & Bellows, Alexandra & Carducci, Bianca, 2023. "Challenges and opportunities for increasing the effectiveness of food reformulation and fortification to improve dietary and nutrition outcomes," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).

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