Boris Johnson may reverse Britain’s embrace of sin taxes

CONSIDERING THEY call themselves Conservatives, Britain’s recent leaders have been unusually willing to meddle with individual choices. Plastic straws are to be banned, over concerns about pollution of the oceans. A tax on plastic bags, introduced in 2015, may double under plans currently out for consultation. The Tories have also expanded so-called sin taxes on unhealthy behaviour. Worried about bulging obesity levels, last year the government introduced a tax on sugary drinks, which led manufacturers to change their recipes or raise their prices.

Some would like the nanny state to be stricter still. Jamie Oliver, a celebrity chef, wants to tax milkshakes. Professor Dame Sally Davies, England’s chief medical officer, is due to deliver in September a report that is likely to recommend more taxes on unhealthy foods. The Institute for Public Policy Research, a leftish think-tank, recently called for more food taxes and for sweets, crisps and soft drinks to be sold in plain packets, as cigarettes already are. Some environmentalists support a meat tax.