World Bank, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT, USA.
Appl Health Econ Health Policy. 2018 Aug;16(4):549-558. doi: 10.1007/s40258-018-0399-1.
Excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is a major concern in the efforts to improve diet and reduce obesity in USA, particularly among low-income populations. One of the most commonly proposed strategies to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption is increasing beverage prices through taxation.
The objective of this study was to evaluate whether and how price-based policies could reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among participants in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Using point-of-sale data from a regional supermarket chain (58 stores), we estimated the responsiveness of demand to sugar-sweetened beverage price changes among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-participating families with young children. Own-price and cross-price elasticities for non-alcoholic beverages were estimated using a Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System model.
The study found evidence that a tax-induced sugar-sweetened beverage price increase would reduce total sugar-sweetened beverage purchases among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants, who were driven by purchase shifts away from taxed sodas and sports drinks to non-taxed beverages (bottled water, juice, milk). The substitution of non-taxed caloric beverages decreases the marginal effects of the sugar-sweetened beverage tax, yet the direct tax effects are large enough to reduce the overall caloric intake, with the average net reduction in monthly calories from sugar-sweetened beverages estimated at around 8% for a half-cent per ounce tax and 16% for a one cent per ounce tax.
A beverage price increase in the form of an excise tax would reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and increase healthier beverage purchases among low-income families.
在美国，过量摄入含糖饮料是改善饮食和减少肥胖的主要关注点，尤其是在低收入人群中。减少含糖饮料摄入的最常见策略之一是通过征税来提高饮料价格。
本研究旨在评估基于价格的政策是否以及如何能够减少参加联邦补充营养援助计划（Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program，SNAP）人群的含糖饮料消费。
利用区域性连锁超市（58 家门店）的销售点数据，我们估计了需求对 SNAP 参与家庭中幼儿的含糖饮料价格变化的反应。使用二次近似理想需求系统模型估计了非酒精饮料的自价格和交叉价格弹性。
研究结果表明，含糖饮料税的增加将减少 SNAP 参与者对含糖饮料的总购买量，因为购买者会转向非征税的饮料（瓶装水、果汁、牛奶）来替代征税的苏打水和运动饮料。非征税的含卡路里饮料的替代会降低含糖饮料税的边际效应，但直接的税收效应足够大，可以减少整体卡路里摄入量，每盎司半美分的税收估计每月可减少含糖饮料的卡路里摄入量约 8%，每盎司一美分的税收可减少 16%。
以消费税形式提高饮料价格将减少低收入家庭对含糖饮料的消费，并增加对更健康饮料的购买。
