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Chewing gum summit to hear penny tax proposal

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22nd Feb 2005
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Britain's first chewing gum summit will hear calls for the sticky stuff to be taxed, according to reports.

Representatives of British cities are expected to call for action to tackle problems caused by discarded gum, including introduction of a penny a packet tax to help councils meet the estimated £150m cost of cleaning it up.

It is estimated that UK sales of gum are worth £258m a year. The cost of clearing it up in London alone is estimated at around £4m including £2m spent removing gum from London Underground trains and stations, the Guardian reported.

London Assembly member Mike Tuffrey, Liberal Democrat spokesman on the environment, said: "Chewing gum that is irresponsibly spat on to the street is a nuisance, an eyesore and costing taxpayers millions each year to clean up."

A spokeswoman for the Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery Association said the chewing gum industry took the issue of gum litter seriously, but opposed plans for a clean-up tax.

Andrew Goodall
[email protected]

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By mikewhit
22nd Feb 2005 18:48

Swallow it
... and let's have an end to the matter.

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By Simon Sweetman
23rd Feb 2005 10:00

chewing gum
I was told that if you swallowed it, it would wrap itself round your heart and you would die, but that was at a convent school. But it can't be true because of this question from the late lamented Lonnie Donegan -

"if your mother says don't chew it, do you swallow it in spite"

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Andrew Goodall
By Andrew Goodall
23rd Feb 2005 09:27

Passing through the system
Mike, you raise a very important point. I am sure I was told that the sides of my stomach would stick together if I did this.

But Wrigley says: "A lot of people have the wrong idea about what happens if you swallow a piece of chewing gum, so we're glad to set the record straight!

"Chewing gum has five basic ingredients - sweeteners, corn syrup, softeners, flavors and gum base (the part that puts the 'chew' in chewing gum).

"The first four ingredients are soluble, meaning they dissolve in your mouth as you chew. Gum base doesn't. And although it isn't meant to be swallowed, if it is, it simply passes through your system, just like popcorn or any other form of roughage. This normally takes only a few days."

The Wrigley Company provides more useful FAQs for kids on its website.

TaxZone is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Andrew Goodall
[email protected]

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