British Soft Drinks Association
Protecting industry from punitive tax changes at the Autumn Budget
The British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) faced a critical threat ahead of the Autumn Budget 2025: Treasury proposals to lower the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (sugar tax) threshold from 5g to 4g of sugar per 100ml. This change would have imposed significant additional costs on the industry – estimated at £1 billion by 2030 – while delivering minimal health benefits.
MessageSpace delivered a precision-targeted campaign from 27 October to 24 November 2025, reaching government decision-makers and political stakeholders across Westminster. Using compelling messaging including "Stop the £1bn Soft Drink Tax Raid" and highlighting that the proposed change would save consumers less than half a grape's worth of sugar, the campaign made BSDA's case unmissable to those with influence over Budget decisions.
The campaign achieved its primary objective: the sugar tax threshold was set at 4.5g per 100ml rather than being lowered to 4g – a significant policy win that protected the industry from the most punitive tax changes while demonstrating that the soft drinks sector had already made substantial reformulation progress.
Key Results
- Key policy win: Sugar tax threshold set at 4.5g per 100ml instead of 4g, protecting industry from £1bn additional cost
- Over 529,000 impressions delivered across The Times and LabourList
- LabourList Newsletter achieved standout 0.34% CTR – the highest performing placement
- The Times exceeded agreed impression targets by over 10,000 impressions
- Best performing message 'Half a grape in health benefit' achieved 0.42% CTR on LabourList Newsletter
- Strategic placements reached decision-makers during critical pre-Budget period