TAX
SET TO
SWEETEN
THE POT
Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan,
announced a proposed tax on sugarsweetened drinks in his 2016 Budget
Speech. The tax is planned to come into
effect from 1 April 2017, but what impact
will it have?
Sugar tax has been introduced with the hopes of
reducing the high consumption rate of sugar in
South Africa. According to Treasury policy papers,
studies have shown that introduction of health
related taxes on certain goods does change
behavioural consumption.
Bonitas Member Magazine 2016 Issue 4
Obesity and lifestyle diseases are on the
increase
South Africa’s disease burden is rivalled by few
countries. Over the past two decades, the country
has struggled to contain the prevalence of HIV/AIDS
and Tuberculosis. However, in recent years, we’ve
seen a rapid rise in lifestyle diseases such as high
blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. According to
the World Health Organisation (WHO) the number
of obese people has more than doubled since 1980.
The WHO also reported that in 2014, 1.9 billion adults
were overweight and South Africa was cited as the
most obese nation within the SADAC region.
Why is sugar bad for you?
While moderate consumption of sugar is not bad
for you, many studies have revealed that high
consumption can cause a range of health problems
including:
• Coronary heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Certain types of cancers (such as endometrial,
breast and colon)
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Dyslipidaemia (for example, high total cholesterol
or high levels of triglycerides)
• Stroke
• Liver and Gallbladder disease
• Sleep apnoea and respiratory problems
• Osteoarthritis (a degeneration of cartilage and its
underlying bone within a joint)
• Gynaecological problems (abnormal
menstruation and infertility)
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