Labour had its conference over the weekend and copped some flak about it's refusal to accept the Trans Pacific Partnership. As Josie Pagani pointed out yesterday, you can't say jobs, jobs, jobs and then turn your back of a trade pact involving 40 per cent of the world's economies.

But further to that, they signalled a move to put sugar warnings on food and to introduce a sugar tax in the future.

In the first instance they'll require food manufacturers to put symbols on their products indicating how many teaspoons of sugar are in each foodstuff. This is a good idea. All food should be labelled with its contents so we can make informed choices.

Yesterday the idea got the thumbs up from Jamie Oliver. The chef posted a link to the Herald's story on the policy on Facebook and Oliver wrote: "Go Go New Zealand, this would be great for public health if it happened. Clarity and honesty, that's the way forward." Agreed. Labelling is clarity and honesty

But, with Labour being Labour, thinking they know better than the rest of us, I have disagree with their proposed sugar tax.

The new policy will give food manufacturers a time frame to voluntarily reduce the sugar in processed food before the Government legislates to require them to.
However 'treat food' such as lollies, chocolate and ice cream would be exempt.

This is a step too far with the only beneficiaries being the tax collectors for the Government. It seems that the default mode of the left in tackling any perceived problem is to slam a tax on it as a punishment. While it can help - for example there is no doubt that the rate of smoking has decreased - it is not the solution to a problem in the first place. That has to rest on the individuals shoulders. I have a problem with the carbon emissions trading scheme as well as it seems more like a way for states and corporations to make money rather than to stop polluting. Taxes distort the real problem.

The sugar tax is very insidious. It's a government telling us how to eat as if we're children. It's taking away personal responsibility. You would have thought Labour would have learnt after their nanny state position on showers and lightbulbs cost Helen Clark an election.

Labour still treats the people as dummies and that's one of their principal problems.