Government’s proposed tax on sugary beverages will not put an end to obesity
The individuality and complexity of human responses help explain why state interventions fail to achieve widespread lifestyle changes, writes Frans Cronje
In the US and other developed countries, the rapid rise in the rate of obesity began in the 1970s. Obesity has become a global epidemic and an issue of mounting concern for public health as rising obesity rates are linked to increases in harmful diseases and conditions. Obesity is now increasing in SA and other developing countries. The World Health Organisation recently found that almost half of South Africans are overweight in terms of body mass index or BMI, and almost half of these overweight people are obese. Can intervention by policymakers solve the problem? The government proposes to tax sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) at a rate of 2.29c a gram of sugar with effect from 1 April 2017. The rationale is that this will increase the price of SSBs and thus lower the demand for them, so reducing overall sugar intake and helping to counter obesity. Whether the tax will have any effect on obesity is doubtful. What is certain is that it will help raise revenue for the cash-strapped g...
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