We used to say you cant have your cake and eat it too! That may very well come true very soon, but you also actually may not be able to have it, let alone eat it. But you can still drink your Coca Cola once the tax gets cancelled in the coming days.

While Minister of Finance Betzalel Smotritch uses one hand to sign the order to cancel the tax on sugary drinks, with his other hand he is working on signing the order for new taxes on sugary foods instead.

According to Calcalist, Smotritch has ordered his staff to prepare a broader tax on junk food.

According to the article, Smotritch realized that the demand to cancel the tax on the drinks was purely political as according to the numbers the tax was actually very effective. While he realizes, due to coalition considerations, he has to play along and cancel the tax, he realizes something is needed both medically and economically due to the serious situation the stats show caused by the excess of sugar in our diets in Israel.

To that end he is looking to raise taxes on junk food, whether it has excess sugar or trans fats or salt. This will actually be a broader tax, as it will be on far more foods than if it just taxed sugary foods and will also have a broader affect medically.

I guess we'll see when he officially presents the plan and how that goes over. I guess we also have to see how he categorizes junk food. The candyman in shul might switch to giving out apples and carrots, but will the tax include things like eating at McDonalds and Burger Ranch? going for cholent and kugel Thursday night or at kiddush on Shabbos?  And, perhaps the biggest question, will it also be slapped on the sugary drinks right after he cancels the first tax on them? Will his coalition partners go apoplectic on him as they did with Avigdor Lieberman or will they accept it because it is less directly targeting them (though I never really understood why they thought they drink Coke more than anyone else)