Norway has a long tradition of punitively taxing luxury items and products like alcoholic beverages and tobacco. Now the politicians are going after products that contain a lot of sugar, or are considered unhealthy.
That includes soft drinks and sweets, including chocolate. The current center-left coalition government already has eased taxes on sparkling water and raised them a bit on sugary sodas.
Some health advocates are arguing in favour of doubling the local version of sales tax (25 percent VAT called "moms") on soft drinks (called brus in Norway) and removing tax from fruit. "The problem is that we eat much too much sugar... too little fruit and vegetables, and too many processed foods like potato chips," Haakon Meyer, leader of a national nutrition council (Nasjonalt råd for ernæring) told newspaper Aftenposten.
A formal report from the ruling government coalition claims that "special taxes on unhealthy products can be one of several methods of improving nutrition among the population." Health Minister Sylvia Brustad remains non-commital about what measures may ultimately be taken.
"I can't say anything about what or when (any changes will occur)," she told Aftenposten. That's apparently because the three parties making up the government have different opinions on the matter, and need to iron out their differences first.
A random sampling of consumer opinion seems to support a change. "When a liter of milk costs as much as a soft drink, something's wrong," said Helene Drivenes of Ås, one of several consumers questioned by Aftenposten.
