The government is planning to cut the tax on sugar free drinks and mineral water as part of a national plan to reduce obesity, the AD reported on Thursday.

The paper has a draft copy of the plan and says cutting the tax on sugar-free drinks will reduce the price of a litre bottle by around nine cents. However, there are no plans to introduce a specific tax on sugar, the AD said.

The plan, which was put together by government officials, the hotel and catering industry, the food industry, education and sports groups, aims to reduce the number of obese people in the Netherlands back to the 1995 level by 2040.

‘If we do nothing, in the next 22 years 62% of Dutch adults will be overweight,’ the draft plan states. Currently around 49% of adults in the Netherlands are too heavy.

The participants also pledge to try to reduce the number of people with obesity-related heart, liver and artery disease and diabetes by 40% in the next 22 years.

In addition, 75% of the population should meet national guidelines on exercise – this means 2.5 hours of exercise of average intensity for adults and one hour a day for children.