Consumers cut sugar intake as lobbies lean on Tito Mboweni
Tax is working to cut sugar consumption
21 February 2021 - 16:40
South Africans are drinking less sugar, in a positive spin-off of the “sugar tax” imposed by the Treasury two years ago, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said on Friday.
Revenue from the levy which was introduced in 2018 as a means to address the high levels of obesity in the country has dropped from R3bn in 2018/2020 to R2.6bn in 2019/2020 from locally manufactured sugary beverages, and from R54m to R53m from imported sugary beverages, over the past two years. The levy was initially set at a rate of 2.1c for each gram of sugar over an initial threshold of 4g/100ml and increased a year later to 2.21c. ..
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