PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis.
By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunermedia.net
PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said the government would not introduce a sin tax anytime soon.
His comment came after his administration tabled the Customs Management (Amendment) Bill in the House of Assembly last week, legislation that would let the minister of finance make regulations providing for the payment of a health and wellness levy on the importation of specific goods and domestically manufactured good “deemed to have a negative impact on health and wellness”.
“No, that is not going to be done this year,” Mr Davis said about a sugar or sin tax. “I don’t see it coming very soon either.”
He said: “We are attempting to cause Bahamians to understand what sugar is to their health.”
“We have put a framework in place to determine whether or not it will be done but nothing is happening with that. It’s not gonna happen anytime soon. We’re talking to the industry to see how they’re able to lessen sugar in the ingredients for sodas etc and because the stats have shown that that is one of the significant contributors to non-communicable diseases, something that this country is struggling with as I speak.”
Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville has frequently discussed his desire to introduce a sin tax.
In March, he said opposition from local producers of sugary beverages is one obstacle preventing the government from racing to introduce a sin tax.
“I am pushing (for a tax),” he told The Tribune, “but I have to push from the health perspective. I am only the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Finance has to ultimately make the decision and it has to be a discussion with the wholesale food distributors as well as the local beverage manufacturers in the country.
“You take, for instance, Coca-Cola. They produce all of the sodas, so the minute we talk about adding a tax on sugary beverages, it’s going to be pushback from that industry. So all of our local producers are definitely against it because it will affect their bottom line. But the health and wellness of the country is more important than an industry that is manufacturing something that is now creating a problem in the community and for our ability to push back or fight back against non-communicable diseases.”
According to The Bahamas STEPS 2019 report, the country exceeds the regional prevalence for obesity and hypertension. In addition, the report found that 85.3 per cent of the population does not meet the minimum daily intake/consumption of fruits and vegetables.
The report recommends the government enact legislation to reduce the demand for unhealthy food products.
“Specifically,” the report says, “elimination of trans fats legislation and taxation of sugary beverages; and earmarking these taxes to support wellness. For example, evidence shows that a tax on SSBs (sugar-sweetened beverages) that increases retail price by 20 per cent can reduce consumption by approximately 20 per cent.”
Comments
ohdrap4 11 months ago
Well, Coca Cola will not allow their local franchise to reduce the sugar in their beverage, so this is a waste of time.
The food manufacturers are suing the FDA in the US, because of upcoming guidelines which would prevent the breakfast cereals and canned soups from using the word healthy on their label if they exceed sugar limits.
The soup called Healthy Choice has 21 grams of sugar per serving, that is the same as Coca-Cola.
The govt already charges 40% duty on imported beverages, their dilemma is that they do not wish to add 20% to that.
ohdrap4 11 months ago
There goes Crisco and margarines. But that is in manufactured food.
Do you all ever fry stuff and see the oil smoking? Or grill meat brushed with barbecue sauce? Or fry the onion in lard with tomato sauce to make peas and rice? There, you have been making your own transfat.
Engineer 11 months ago
Will the 'sin tax' be extended to cooking oil, butter, cream, beer, liquor, juices, etc., etc..
ohdrap4 11 months ago
Not at the moment. They are just obeying the WHO, who said sugary beverages. Put it in the law but underneath the FOIA in a drawer somewhere.
Butter and cream are not a sin. Margarine is.
But right now, the WHO masters just say sugary beverages. Not candy, or fast food, or anything else.
Well_mudda_take_sic 11 months ago
Most Bahamians, especially children, were much healthier before the fast food franchises came to our shores in the 1970's.
Wendy's, Marco's, KFC, McDonald's, Domino's, Burger King and all the other extremely unhealthy fast food franchises should be paying the lion's share of the taxes necessary to fund the annual budgeted costs of the Ministry of Health. The addictive and extremely unhealthy so called 'food' sold by these fast 'food' establishments is just as addictive and deadly as the cigarettes sold to addicted smokers. Frankly, they should be taxed out of business!
And there is an obvious reason why the entire medical community does not speak out loudly against those profiteering from the sale of deadly products......it's because they too are enjoying great profits from all of the sicknesses and chronic diseases afflicting most Bahamians and their family members today. Sadly, most Bahamians are clueless about just how deadly the processed foods and sugary drinks sold by fast food franchises truly are.
Well_mudda_take_sic 11 months ago
And just think about the exorbitant health insurance premiums government departments and agencies are now having to pay for their employees and for which private sector taxpayers are having to bear the costs. It's all truly sickening!
ThymeOnline 11 months ago
Excess sugar is one of the main causes of diabetes.
The bahamas has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the western hemisphere. Fast food has an inordinate amount of sugar in it.
Draw your own conclusions, but don’t deny proven, well know science.
hrysippus 11 months ago
Refined sugar is a drug many times more harmful than marijuana. This is an opinion shared by many of the more informed and educated. As is usually the case; government policy lags well behind the current understanding, Hyper processed foods are even more damaging to human health than processed sugar. Advanced countries are now moving towards tackling this problem. Give the government another 10 or 20 years and they may do the same. Regardless this iwould be a positive step forward if enacted.
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