Sugar tax not bitter enough, say health campaigners
The Healthy Living Alliance wants the levy for sweetened beverages raised to 20%, fruit juices included
11 February 2020 - 18:36
The nonprofit Healthy Living Alliance (Heala) is lobbying the Treasury to increase the tax on sugar-sweetened beverages and expand the net to include fruit juices in a bid to increase its effect.
In 2018, SA became the first African country to introduce a sugar tax, known as the Health Promotion Levy. The government’s aim was to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks, and incentivise manufacturers to reformulate their products to contain less sugar. The levy, implemented in April 2018, was initially set at 2.1c per gramme of sugar per 100ml above a 4g threshold. It was increased to 2.2c a year later...
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