Sugar-sweetened drinks feel the heat

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Gordhan sin-binned sugar in a move he hopes will reduce SAn's waistlines. This..

— The Herald PE (@HeraldPE)

FINANCE Minister Pravin Gordhan has sin-binned sugar in a move he hopes will reduce South African waistlines while helping fill public coffers.

Gordhan said yesterday that South Africa would follow the lead of countries like Denmark‚ France‚ Finland‚ Hungary‚ Mexico and Ireland by introducing a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks such as cold drinks‚ sports drinks and sweetened juices‚ from April 1 next year.

The 2016 budget review states that “obesity stemming from over-consumption of sugar is a global concern.

“Over the past 30 years‚ the problem has grown in South Africa, which has led to the worst obesity ranking in sub-Saharan Africa‚ and led to greater risk of heart disease‚ diabetes and cancer.”

It states that fiscal interventions such as taxes are increasingly recognised as tools to help tackle this epidemic.

Professor Karen Hofman, from Wits University’s Priceless Institute, which was instrumental in lobbying for a sugar tax, was delighted. “This now brings South Africa [in line] with . . . work done in other countries‚” she said.

In Mexico‚ where a similar tax was introduced in 2014‚ it led to a 10% decline in the sales of such drinks. People were also found to be drinking more water.

Hofman’s research showed that a tax of 20% on sugary drinks could result in obesity in women dropping by 2.4% and in men by as much as 3.8%.

But the Free Market Foundation’s Leon Louw said the new tax was an infringement on people’s rights.

Banting diet advocate Professor Tim Noakes called for even more to be done on health issues and not only curb sugar use.