Gotta hand it to NDP leader Adrian Dix - he is resisting calls (mainly from his own supporters) to tax juice and pop.

During an interview today on NL Radio’s The Jim Harrison Show, Dix ruled out a drink tax. “I don’t think we’re going to proceed with that right now… We’ve decided to proceed with the tax changes we have and to fund the programs we have.”

The B.C. Liberals previously rejected an extra tax on snack foods and sugary drinks when it was floated by an independent tax panel last year.

I'm glad to see the two leading contenders to form government in two weeks are opposed to this tax grab - it’s nice to see common sense and consensus emerge on this issue. We need another tax like we need another hole in the head.

Dix’s announcement follows the lead of Denmark, which was the first country to bring in, and then repeal, a fat tax. Just last week, Denmark also repealed its soda tax, saving consumers 65 cents on a 1.5 litre bottle.

This nanny state policy simply doesn’t work, and in Denmark, it drove more than half their citizens across the border looking for cheaper deals elsewhere.

While tax proponents claim that a tax would reduce obesity, many experts disagree. Last year, Dr. Paul Martiquet, an adjunct professor at the UBC School of Medicine and the Medical Health Officer for Powell River, Sunshine Coast, Sea to Sky, Bella Bella and Bella Coola, said: “Research actually shows little correlation between individual behaviours and body weight: many who seldom consume such foods are overweight while many who do, are not.”