When the price of a can of soda jumped in 2017, that wasn't inflation — it was a considered health decision that is now a success story studied across the region.
What exactly happened?
In June 2017 Saudi Arabia applied an excise tax: 50% on soft drinks and 100% on energy drinks — among the largest sweetened-beverage taxes in the world at the time, with VAT added later[1],[3].
Did it work?
A study of Saudi schoolchildren found the proportion consuming energy drinks fell from 46.1% before the tax to 38.4% after[2]. At market level, soft-drink sales volumes recorded a substantial decline over the taxation period[1]. Studies recommend other countries in our region adopt the same approach[2].
since June 2017
among schoolchildren
But liquid calories aren't only fizzy drinks
The tax addressed part of the problem — what remains is the untaxed part: sweetened juices, caramel iced coffees, and tea generously sweetened by our own hands. These are "calories nobody counts" because they don't satiate, but they do count on the scale.
Alternatives that actually work
- Saudi coffee without sugar: nearly calorie-free — the issue is the "accompanying" dates when they go from one to a bowlful.
- Sparkling flavoured water: gives the fizzy sensation without the load.
- Retrain your palate gradually: cut a quarter-spoon of sugar in your tea each week — after a month the old version will taste wrong.