Ministers are looking at putting a tax on sugary drinks to curb obesity in Britain. Conditions such as Type 2 diabetes are straining health budgets. Would a tax on sugar help?
© OLEKSIY MARK/SHUTTERSTOCK
YES Many years ago as an 18-year-old, I spent two weeks at the Outward Bound School at Loitokitok in Kenya. My group consisted of five strapping African girls, one rather weedy Indian (me) and our American volunteer leader. We spent a never-to-be-forgotten fortnight, charging around on the plains and the slopes of a then unspoiled Kilimanjaro. As we tearfully said goodbye to each other, our leader presented us with a farewell present, a single Mars bar each. This was a luxury, the rarest of treats. I vividly remember cutting mine into five neat pieces, indulging in one immediately, and carefully wrapping the others to be savoured over the following days.