British lawmakers are pushing for a 20 percent tax on soft drinks

Cans of soda
(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

In a report published Monday, members of a British parliament health committee asked Prime Minister David Cameron to drop his opposition to imposing a 20 percent tax on sugary drinks, BBC News reports. The cross-party committee wrote:

The scale and consequences of childhood obesity demand bold and urgent action. We believe that if the government fails to act, the problem will become far worse. We urge the Prime Minister to make a positive and lasting difference to children's health and life chances through his childhood obesity strategy. [House of Commons Health Committee]

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.