Regulation of Consumption of Sugary Soft Drinks with the Help of Excise Taxes.

Abstract

Currently, there is a worldwide trend towards an increase in the consumption of soft drinks with a high sugar content. In some countries, special taxes are imposed on this category of goods in order to limit their supply and demand on the market. In Russia, the issue of regulating the consumption of sugary soft drinks with the help of excise taxes is also being discussed, however, the introduction of these taxes into the tax system of the Russian Federation may have both positive and negative consequences. The subject of the study is the excise tax system of the Russian Federation, as the most suitable for regulating the consumption of sugar–containing and sweetened beverages. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the need to regulate the consumption of sugary soft drinks by introducing an excise tax, as well as to assess the possible consequences of the introduction of this tax. During the research, logical methods, theoretical and comparative analyses were used. The analysis showed that the increase in the morbidity of the population of the Russian Federation for some diseases is indirectly, but is associated with an increase in the production and consumption of soft drinks with a high sugar content. At the same time, the study of international experience has shown that the introduction of additional excise taxes on such drinks, while working out some nuances, can bring a positive effect. For Russia, the introduction of a tax can serve, firstly, as a regulator of the supply and demand of harmful beverages on the market, secondly, as a measure to support domestic producers, and thirdly, as a source of replenishment of the state budget in the long term. The novelty of the study is the mechanism developed by the author for introducing excise taxes on sweet soft drinks into the tax system of the Russian Federation (including the proposed sizes of tax rates and benefit systems). The author also calculated the fiscal effect of the introduction of the tax, studied the problems with the introduction of taxes in foreign countries and proposed their solution.