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The UK move by the US-based soft drinks giant will take place in March ahead of the introduction of a new sugar tax in April - as it revealed no plans to change original recipe. Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola is to cut its bottle sizes of original Coke in the UK and raise prices from March ahead of the introduction of a new sugar tax in April. The US-based company plans to cut its 1.75 litre bottles down to 1.5 litre and raise the price of the smaller bottle by up to 20 pence. Coca-Cola said it has “no plans” to change its original recipe, which contains more than 10 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres. Scottish soft drinks maker AG Barr has faced criticism for changing the sugar content in its flagship IRN-BRU in an effort to avoid the April tax hike. A petition has been launched by IRN-BRU fans to retain the original recipe. The sugar tax, announced in the March 2016 Budget by then Chancellor George Osborne, will introduce a tax of 18 pence a litre on soft drinks containing five grams of sugar or more per 100 millilitres, rising to 24 pence a litre for drinks with sugar content in excess of five grams per 100 millilitres. High sugar milk shakes, coffee Source: Insider.co.UK.products and pure fruit juices are exempt from the new tax, which the UK government expects hopes to raise £530 million a year from to be spent on boosting sports in primary schools. Coca-Cola has already reduced the sugar content in other key soft drinks by around a third in Dr Pepper, Sprite and Fanta, in a bid to avoid the tax.