Thailand
Philippines: New taxes should support production of cheaper, nutritious food
MANILA, Philippines — Collections from the proposed junk food tax and higher levies on sweetened drinks should be used to support the research and development and production of cheaper nutritious food and food supplements, according to a business group.
In a Viber message over the weekend, Management Association of the Philippines (MAP)-president Benedicta Du-Baladad expressed support for the government’s plans to slap taxes on salty food and expand the levy on sweetened beverages.
“Yes, we support this measure but the money collected from the new tax should be earmarked to support and incentivize research and development, production and supply of cheaper food and food supplements with high nutritional value,”Du-Baladad said.
“If a tax is imposed to curb an unwanted behavior (the production and consumption of unhealthy food), then the amount raised from said measure should be used to further support the desired outcome – that is, to improve health by promoting and supporting the production and consumption of nutritious food and food supplements that are cheaper and easily accessible,” she said.
Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno recently announced that the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Department of Health (DOH) are pursuing a junk food and sweetened beverage tax in a bid to generate revenues while addressing diseases related to poor diet.
The proposed tax measure is expected to add P76 billion to state coffers and reduce consumption of junk food by 21 percent.
Under the proposal, the government plans to impose a P10 per 100 grams or P10 per 100 milliliters tax on pre-packaged foods lacking nutritional value, including confectioneries, snacks, desserts, and frozen confectioneries, that exceed the DOH’s specified thresholds for fat, salt, and sugar content.
Source: https://www.philstar.com/business/2023/06/26/2276492/new-taxes-should-support-production-cheaper-nutritious-food