Opposition Spokesman on Finance, Julian Robinson has expressed that the tax on non-alcoholic sugary beverages is unlikely to result in Jamaicans purchasing healthier brands because of the higher cost involved.

As such, he has opined that the stated goal of the Government for Jamaicans to wean themselves off the excess sugar in light of rising diabetic and obesity cases, will not be realised.

“I want to address the $10 billion levy on sugary drinks specifically, because the government has justified it as a public health measure, and that justification deserves examination.

“And let me say from the outset that we on this side are not dismissing the health concern. The level of sugar consumption in Jamaica is a genuine public health issue, and it deserves serious policy attention. Where we part ways with the government is whether this levy is genuinely about resolving that problem,” said Robinson.

READ: Sugary drink tax not a burden

He was speaking Tuesday during his contribution to the 2026-2027 Budget Debate at Gordon House.

“If the government’s concern is about reducing sugar consumption and improving health outcomes, it has a more effective instrument available to it,” Robinson continued.

He said the government could require local manufacturers to reformulate their products to reduce the sugar content and provide a time period within which to do so.

“That intervention would directly reduce the amount of sugar people consume. The government has that authority. Nothing in law prevents it from acting in this way,” he insisted, adding that “instead they chose a tax at this time”.

According to Robinson, this matters because people who consume these drinks in the highest volumes are not necessarily doing so out of an attachment to sugar.

“They are doing so because the alternatives, the natural juices, coconut water and the healthier options, are priced out of their reach,” he said.

-Lynford Simpson