The Caribbean island of Barbados has announced a new sugar tax, effective August 1, 2015. The 10 percent tax will apply to all carbonated soft drinks, sports drinks, sweetened fruit juices, and juice drinks. Apparently the residents of Barbados are not happy with this new tax. They view it as yet another money grab by the government, but the statistics show that obesity is becoming a nationwide epidemic that must be addressed through policy changes, since personal change isn’t making enough of a difference. In Barbados, 64 percent of adults are overweight or obese, and 31 percent of children are, too. The government spends approximately US $113 million (BBD $226 million) per year fighting diabetes and high blood pressure.
— source treehugger.com