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By levying the tax also on juices produced by local Slovenian producers and made out of natural ingredients without added sugar, the government will put yet another obstacle to development of rural areas and production of healthy, local and home-made food and drinks, the OZS said.

As the prices of sugary drinks will rise, many people will choose alcoholic beverages instead, which will be a problem, especially among the young. This will also lead to a rise in the number of alcohol-induced car accidents, the OZS warns.

It therefore proposed that the draft bill be removed from procedure.

The chamber's division for hospitality sector and tourism even proposes that the VAT on sales of non-alcoholic beverages at bars be lowered from the current 20%.

They believe this is an unacceptable anomaly, as the VAT for a non-alcoholic drink bought in a shop is 8.5%.

The Finance Ministry expects the new tax on sugary drinks to net EUR 14m per year.

Under the draft bill, all sweet drinks will be taxed, regardless of whether the sugar is natural (fruit juices) or added; freshly pressed juices in bars will be tax exempt.