Red Bull welcomes suggestions to review GCC tax on energy drinks

Energy drink producer Red Bull has welcomed suggestions to review the GCC’s excise tax on energy drinks, adding it would be discriminatory to treat energy drinks any differently from other beverages containing sugar and caffeine.

Complaints were made by members of the European Union, Switzerland and the United States at the World Trade Organization about the imposition of a 100 percent tax on energy drinks and 50 percent tax on other carbonated beverages in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, Reuters had reported.

 “A 250 ml can of Red Bull energy drink contains 80 mg of caffeine, about the same as a cup of coffee, and the same amount of sugars as in a conventional soft drink,” Red Bull said in a statement.

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia introduced a “sin tax” on the consumption of several products considered harmful to health, including cigarettes and energy drinks, Argaam previously reported.