Industry weighs in with pressure to drop sugar tax
Parliamentarian threatened by industry players to prevent passing of bill aimed at sugar-laden drinks
THE chairperson of Parliament’s standing committee on finance has revealed in the National Assembly that he received threats from industry-linked people to drop the tax on sugary drinks.
“The latest was when I was phoned and told to drop the Bill,” Yunus Carrim told the House, which passed the Bill.
“Wherever this tax has been introduced in the world, there have been stories about industry offering bribes to MPs and creating front organisations pretending to be supporting workers rights when they oppose the tax and a whole variety of measures. This has happened in smaller measures here.
“I have been contacted three times by people linked to industry,” said Carrim.
“They have even threatened the chair, saying that they will take this to the ANC national executive committee.
“But I say that this bill was brought to the Cabinet and I want to congratulate the Cabinet for having the bravery and the courage in taking up this Bill,” he said.
In Mexico and Colombia, activists supporting a tax on sugary drinks in their countries have been harassed, threatened and even bugged by military-grade spyware.
Carrim said that the current Bill was the result of extensive negotiations, with the Treasury dropping its initial plan for a 20% tax down to just 11%.
“We received stunning representation on the harmful impact of sugary beverages on our people. The quality was world-class, mainly presented by Africans under the age of 40 and it made us very proud,” said Carrim.
ANC MP Dikeledi Mahlangu said that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were “silent killers” that had taken over from HIV and TB, and that diets high in sugar were driving NCDs.
“In 2015 alone, 55% of deaths were from NCDs while 33.4% were from communicable diseases,” said Mahlangu.
The EFF’s Elsabe Ntlangwini called on the government to “tax sugar to the max”, while the IFP’s Mkhuleko Hlengwa said his party supported the tax but that it was “not a silver bullet”.
“It must be part and parcel of an education campaign about obesity and diabetes. Our sugar consumption is at an all-time high,” she said.
The DA and Cope did not support the tax, which has been renamed a “health promotion levy” and is contained in the rates and monetary amounts and amendment bill.
The Bill now goes to the National Council of Provinces before it is passed into law.
The levy on sugary drinks is expected to be implemented on April 1 next year. – Health-e News.
The current bill was the result of extensive negotiations