How much sugar do we drink in South Africa? Here are the facts

[BusinessTech]

How much sugar do we drink in South Africa? Here are the facts

South Africans may be paying more for sugary drinks if a proposed sugar tax is introduced. Will the implications be as far reaching as the soft drink industry claims? AfricaCheck investigates.

 

[xtm]

who's f'cking business if some one drinking how much of suger? you paying for it so what is the point. so fck your idea who ever is involved in this type of implementation.

 

[HavocXphere]

who's f'cking business if some one drinking how much of suger?

Obesity is #1 killer in many countries & puts a massive strain on the health system.

I'm all for a sugar tax. Of all the shtty taxes they can dream up this is one of the better ones.

 

[xtm]

sugar alone is not the cause of Obesity. fast food at our popular restaurants doesn't? so are they going to control one's eating habits now.

 

[ToxicBunny]

sugar alone is not the cause of Obesity. fast food at our popular restaurants doesn't? so are they going to control one's eating habits now.

Don't give them ideas ffs

 

[HavocXphere]

sugar alone is not the cause of Obesity

Nobody said it is. It certainly contributes though.

 

[Lupus]

Nobody said it is. It certainly contributes though.

You really think an 80c increase on a can of coke is going to stop people? Or that the 80c is actually going to some sort of health program

 

[RVQ]

Obesity is #1 killer in many countries & puts a massive strain on the health system.

I'm all for a sugar tax. Of all the shtty taxes they can dream up this is one of the better ones.

Should be no tax on healthier food not more tax on unhealthy food...

 

[HavocXphere]

Should be no tax on healthier food not more tax on unhealthy food...

Core staples are already zero rated for VAT.

You really think an 80c increase on a can of coke is going to stop people? Or that the 80c is actually going to some sort of health program

I do actually. Not everyone, but that purchase decision repeated thousands of times a day across the country...that 80 cents will definitely move the needle.

 

[Lupus]

Core staples are already zero rated for VAT.


I do actually. Not everyone, but that purchase decision repeated thousands of times a day across the country...that 80 cents will definitely move the needle.

Core staples, are bread, tinned pilchards and maize meal. None of that is healthy and can cause obesity.
Also it's the same as sin tax, people aren't going to balk at 80c a can.

 

[backstreetboy]

Core staples, are bread, tinned pilchards and maize meal. None of that is healthy and can cause obesity.
Also it's the same as sin tax, people aren't going to balk at 80c a can.

+1 many people still smoke and drink regardless. Pilchards is healthy though.

 

[HavocXphere]

Core staples, are bread, tinned pilchards and maize meal. None of that is healthy and can cause obesity.

That a rather misleading summary. Fruit, Veg, milk & egg is on there too - literally the cornerstones of a healthy diet.

Also it's the same as sin tax, people aren't going to balk at 80c a can.

They are. These things do affect people's decisions where they are sitting on the fence. 80c doesn't seem a lot, especially not to you and me, but it certainly has a > 0 effect across 50 million people.

 

[Lupus]

That a rather misleading summary. Fruit, Veg, milk & egg is on there too - literally the cornerstones of a healthy diet.


They are. These things do affect people's decisions where they are sitting on the fence. 80c doesn't seem a lot, especially not to you and me, but it certainly has a > 0 effect across 50 million people.

It might be, but have you gone into a shop, those might be zero rated, but they aren't affordable.
I helped an old lady pay for her groceries, she doesn't seem to have a lot of money. Her basket contained those three items, one pork chop, a tin of peas, beans and a small tin of coffee and that was R240 she only had R200 and the first thing she was willing to put back was the beans, peas and pork chop.
Told her I'll pay that for her at least.
See that with my mother in law as well she's stuck on pension and is fostering two of her grandkids without the government grant (delays and delays)
Vegetables need to be cheaper, for people you actually buy them, being zero rated is not good enough.

 

[saor]

They are. These things do affect people's decisions where they are sitting on the fence. 80c doesn't seem a lot, especially not to you and me, but it certainly has a > 0 effect across 50 million people.

Be curious to see how tobacco tax has affected smoker numbers, and whether the effort to push legislation was worth it if the outcomes were only negligible.
I'm a bit skeptical as to how effective taxation is in effectively reducing how people purchase a product.

Random source:

While smoking has declined as a result of the tax,
our recent study shows that the “core” of smokers that remains
after the multiple recent tax increases is less responsive to price
increases than commonly assumed. As a result, the public health
argument to justify additional cigarette taxes is less valid today.
indeed, back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that cigarette
tax increases are not a cost-effective way to improve health accord-
ing to conventional guidelines. Cigarette taxes also represent a
non-trivial burden on low-income families’ budgets.

source: http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/serials/files/regulation/2014/12/regulation-v37n4-7.pdf

Except for those people at the periphery who are already considering cutting out sugar, most people will probably perceive the price increase in the same way they perceive fuel increases: As some function of fluctuation in economies and manufacturing, rather than as an explicit sign that sugar is bad.

 

[HavocXphere]

Vegetables need to be cheaper, for people you actually buy them, being zero rated is not good enough.

Yeah. Eating heavily is fk'in expensive. Thats driven by market forces though. Simply pointing out that the overall concept is good - increase taxes for the unhealthy stuff & remove it for the healthy.

Though personally I wouldn't mind if they jack up sin/sugar tax further and subsidise veggies with that.

Good on you for helping the lady.

 

[Lupus]

Yeah. Eating heavily is fk'in expensive. Thats driven by market forces though. Simply pointing out that the overall concept is good - increase taxes for the unhealthy stuff & remove it for the healthy.

Though personally I wouldn't mind if they jack up sin/sugar tax further and subsidise veggies with that.

Good on you for helping the lady.

That I'd actually be for, if vegetables are subsidised by the sugar tax.

 

[HavocXphere]

That I'd actually be for, if vegetables are subsidised by the sugar tax.

Has value even if it doesn't. People need both a nudge away from bad stuff and a nudge towards good stuff.