The Treasury might include 100% fruit juices in a proposal to tax sugary drinks in South Africa, an official said on Monday. Speaking at a debate on the proposed tax at the Wits Business School, Mpho Legote, director of VAT excise duty at the Treasury, said a socioeconomic impact study was under way. The results would be published in November.The tax amounts to about 20% of carbonated drinks but it excludes flavoured milk, bottled water and naturally sweetened juices. "But it doesn’t mean the exclusion is a permanent exclusion," said Legote, adding that public comment received indicated that juices were only 100% beneficial if they contained the fruit sap. This was one of the issues being weighed up.While the government has been accused of targeting soft drinks to alleviate its revenue challenges, Legote denied this. "There are other instruments within tax policy that we use for that." He said if the tax was effective, revenue derived from it would decline as manufacturers would pro...
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