Written for the Good Food Movement as part of my monthly column ‘The Plate and the Planet’. Published in April 2025. Header image credit: Sharath Ravishankar for the Good Food Movement.

Should a can of cola be taxed similarly to a pack of cigarettes? The Government of India now effectively thinks so. Under the new Goods and Services Tax (GST) rules, the tax on carbonated sugar-sweetened beverages has been raised to 40%, placing these drinks firmly in the country’s ‘sin goods’ category alongside tobacco and alcohol. The goal behind such sin taxes, more politely called health taxes, is to make unhealthy products more expensive so people consume less of them, while also generating revenue to offset the public health costs associated with their consumption.

India’s consumption patterns make the case for such measures particularly urgent. The country is experiencing a rapid rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity, which now account for around 60% of all deaths nationwide and have increased sharply over the past few decades. This trend is closely linked to changing lifestyles, including higher consumption of processed foods, sugary beverages, and diets high in salt and fat.