Department of Health Secretary Ted Herbosa on Saturday expressed his help for the proposed further taxes on sweetened drinks and junk meals, citing attainable well being and financial advantages.
In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Herbosa defined that the proposal could end in much less consumption of unhealthy meals.
“Yung epekto ‘neto sa health, nagkakaroon ng diabetes, kidney disease, among others. On the health perspective, maganda magkaroon ng tinatawag na excise taxes on those particular products na hindi beneficial sa ating health,” stated Herbosa.
He additionally emphasised that the income from the excise tax can be utilized to fund authorities applications and tasks.
“Kung ako tatanungin, sang ayon aka diyan kai may malalakap nanaman na pondo ang ating pamahalaan para malagay sa tinatawag nating social services,” Herbosa stated.
“Ang napag-usapan namin sa gabinete, meron kaming proyekto para sa hunger at malnutrition, at mukhang diyan kukukunin ng Department of Finance yang gagamiting pondo sa iba’t-ibang programa,” he added.
The DOH Secretary additionally cites the excise tax on alcohol and tobacco for example, which he stated yielded constructive outcomes.
“Nung undersecretary ako, tumulong ako sa pagbalangkas at pagpasa ng sin tax or excise tax on tobacco and alcohol. Dahil dun sa batas na yun, dumami ang tax collection para magamit sa Universal Health Care,” defined Herbosa.
“Dahil dun kumonti din ang naninigarilyo, from 29% to now I think 18%… Ganun din (ang inaasahan sa) problema sa sugar drinks,” stated the Health Secretary.
Herbosa, nevertheless, admits that there are nonetheless different issues that ought to be thought-about on the deliberate tax hike for sweetened drinks and junk meals.
“Ang usapan diyan, may debate din sapagkat parang naaalisan ng source yung ating mga kababayan na dun kinukuha yung kanilang energy, sa sugar drink. Pero yun mga junk food at salty food, siyempre dun naman mag lelead sa hypertension, kidney disease, so maganda mag hinay-hinay ang mga kababayan natin diyan,” he stated.
The DOH chief additionally talked about attainable results on non-public companies, notably within the mushy drink business.
“Ang debate diyan, pag humina yung hanapbuhay ng soft drinks, mawawalan ng empleyo yang mga nagtatrabaho sa industriya. Kaya hinahanap dapat yan ng mga kapalit na produkto na mas healthy gaya ng mga juices for example or some other product na ma-rereplace ‘yung production,” Herbosa stated.
Department of Finance Secretary Ben Diokno beforehand offered particulars of the proposed tax measures.
“Under the proposed tax program, the DOF 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,” stated Diokno in an announcement.
Diokno stated the DOF and the DOH “are jointly pursuing a junk food and sweetened beverage tax as a proactive measure to tackle diabetes, obesity, and non-communicable diseases related to poor diet.” —VAL, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
