HILARY JOFFE: If sinning there will be, the wages ought to come to the Treasury
The sugary drinks tax has been impressively effective
The past couple of weeks have been a veritable virtual feast of budget previews, predictions and presentations. But only one made me to want to put up my virtual hand to pledge, absolutely, that I hadn’t had a drink in ages. A sugary soft drink, that is. And listening to the experts at the Healthy Living Alliance/Rural Health Project pre-budget briefing, I couldn't help wondering, again, why SA banned cigarettes but not sugar, which seems even more likely to land people infected with the coronavirus in hospital, or, tragically, the morgue. Wits University public health professor Karen Hoffman puts the annual direct cost to the South African health system of diabetes and hypertension at R13.2bn, with projections that could rise to R35bn by 2035. And evidence is that the vast majority of the people hospitalised with Covid, of all ages, had these conditions.
Health taxes in total make up just 3.5% of total government revenue, but they are important and the policy issues are inter...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.