Love your sweet drinks? You might have to pay an added tax now
A new tiered tax system has been introduced
For me personally, sweet drinks are a necessity to get through a busy day; the right sugar rush at the right time does wonders for my creativity. Though that might have to change now. A new Saudi sweet beverage tax has just been introduced.
The new ruling comes from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Financial and Economic Cooperation Committee, which approved a decision to calculate the tax on sweet drinks on the basis of the total sugar content in the beverage.
لجنة التعاون المالي والاقتصادي لدول مجلس التعاون تعتمد قرار تعديل منهجية احتساب الضريبة الانتقائية على المشروبات المُحلاة لتكون حسب كمية السكر الإجمالي في المشروب.
🔗| https://t.co/HN06bb4pVw#زاتكا pic.twitter.com/D8i6EuDrA6— هيئة الزكاة والضريبة والجمارك (@Zatca_sa) October 8, 2025
Under the new tiered approach, tax will be assessed according to graded bands determined by the total amount of sugar per 100 millilitres of ready-to-drink sweetened beverages falling within each bracket.
This replaces the current flat-rate system, which imposes a fixed 50 per cent tax on the retail price of sweetened beverages subject to the tax.
In Saudi Arabia, the new system is scheduled to take effect at the beginning of 2026, once all necessary legislative and regulatory requirements are finalized and details are published. The public is invited to share feedback and suggestions by Thursday October 23.
The ruling applies to sweetened beverages, which include any products containing added sources of sugar, artificial sweeteners, or other sweetening agents for drinks. The new Saudi sweet beverage tax applies to all beverages, whether ready-to-drink or in the form of concentrates, powders, gels, extracts, or any other product that can be converted into a beverage.
Visit: spa.gov.sa
