India’s GST Council has raised a firm red flag on sugar-laden beverages classifying them as “sin goods” with a steep 40% tax. Yet, traditional sweets like gulab jamun and rasgulla enjoy a reduced 5% rate, revealing a glaring policy contradiction. While sodas pose health risks, mithai contributes double the sugar per serving one sweet has around 56 g of carbs, compared to 26 g in a 250 ml cola yet escapes similar scrutiny.

Experts argue that this tax disparity stems not from science but sentiment: packaged sugary drinks are often seen as Western indulgences, while mithai is steeped in cultural tradition linked to rituals, festivals, and nostalgia. But from a metabolic standpoint insulin spikes, fatty liver, diabetes the body makes no aesthetic distinction. With one in five Indians diabetic or pre-diabetic, public health demands consistency.

The op-ed urges policy recalibration: apply “sin tax” uniformly across sugar-rich products, enforce front-of-pack sugar labeling, limit cultural exemptions (like wedding sweets), encourage reformulated low-sugar alternatives, and launch a national sugar-awareness campaign akin to anti-smoking drives. The message is clear: cultural affection shouldn't derail health policy.