Expect the average price of a soft drink to increase by about 12 cents, sometime over the next few weeks, due to the increased tax on sweetened beverages.
That increase takes effect today raising the sweet drink tax from ten to twenty percent.
Andre Thomas, general manager of Barbados Bottling Company Limited, which makes drinks such as Coca-Cola, Sprite and Frutee, tells Starco Network News, prices will go up.
He noted the hike won’t be immediate.
McArthur Barrow, Chief Operating Officer of supermarket chain Popular Discounts, also notes the increase will be seen gradually depending on the manufacturer and the outlets from which the drinks are bought.
Meantime, Deputy Dean of the Medical Faculty of the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, Dr. Kenneth Connell, is among those supporting the increase in the sweet drink tax.
