Health groups give backing to proposed soda tax

obesity philippines
Health Advocates Give Full Support Behind ‘Soda Tax’ Bill – photo clip from youtube.com – www.plnmedia.com

Health advocates in the country have given their full support for the pending bill which will tax soda drinkers.

Those advocates believe that by passing the bill it would help curb the high presence of childhood obesity in the Philippines.

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Irene Reyes, health Justice managing director said: “This is definitely a step in the right direction. Three out of 10 Filipinos are obese. Childhood obesity is likewise increasing. It does not help that soft drinks are still very cheap and accessible especially to children in school.”

Reyes said that a nutritional survey recently showed that overweight children between the ages of five and 10, rose from one per cent in 1989 to five per cent in 2013.

Under the proposal to tax soda, the government would impose taxation on every kind of sugar-sweetened beverage in the country.

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For every litre of soda (or sugary drink) the Philippine government would attach a 10-peso tax – the tax would then increase each year by four per cent.

Reyes said that by making the new proposal law, the country would generate revenue for health, education and local governments.

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