Trade union federation Cosatu has called for a delay in the implementation of the tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, saying a comprehensive transition and jobs plan has to be developed first. The plan should include tariffs on sugar and sugar-related imports, support for sugar exports. and for emerging and vulnerable sugar farms and mills, as well as the fast-tracking of bio-fuel and co-generation of energy, Cosatu said in a presentation to a joint sitting of Parliament’s finance and health committees on Wednesday. It argued that the tax should be ring-fenced so it can be used to provide dedicated support for the transition process and later for the Department of Health to help fund the national health insurance scheme. While Cosatu agreed that diabetes and obesity were contributing to a national health crisis, it was concerned about the loss of jobs that would result from the tax which is intended to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks. "Obesity, diabetes and many other diseases...
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