Sugar tax increase takes effect October 1st

[snoop1130]

Sugar tax increase takes effect October 1st

 

 

BANGKOK, 25th July 2019 (NNT) - A sugar tax increase is going to take effect from October 1st, this the second round of taxes that the Thai government is levying on sugary drinks.

 

From October the first, sugary beverages, namely sodas, ready-to-drink green tea, coffee, energy drinks and fruit juice, are going to be taxed at a higher rate in line with the Excise Tax Act 2017. The progressive tax rate will be levied per 100ml of the beverage volume.

 

This will be the second tax increase and a third is scheduled for October 1st, 2021.

 

This time, a beverage containing 10g of sugar per 100ml of product will not be taxed. But drinks in the 10-14g range will be taxed 1 baht per litre, from 14 to 18g - 3 baht per litre, and over 18g of sugar per 100ml - 5 baht per litre.

 

According to Excise Department, the purpose of such a tax is to encourage less sugar consumption. The Thai Health Promotion Foundation says that sugar consumption should not exceed 6 teaspoons, or 24g per day. Statistics indicate that Thai people consume an average of 20 teaspoons of sugar per day, 3 times the recommended amount.

 

The beverage with the lowest sugar content is is 200ml of fruit juice, which contains 6.25 teaspoons of sugar. 475ml or one cup of fresh coffee - 10.5 teaspoons of sugar, 450ml or one glass of soda - 10.75 teaspoons, milk tea with tapioca - 11.25 teaspoons, one bottle of green tea - 14.5 teaspoons and the highest is yoghurt with 400ml containg 19 teaspoons of sugar.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2019-07-25

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[ukrules]

25 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

 

The beverage with the lowest sugar content is is 200ml of fruit juice, which contains 6.25 teaspoons of sugar. 475ml or one cup of fresh coffee - 10.5 teaspoons of sugar, 450ml or one glass of soda - 10.75 teaspoons, milk tea with tapioca - 11.25 teaspoons, one bottle of green tea - 14.5 teaspoons and the highest is yoghurt with 400ml containg 19 teaspoons of sugar.

 

My coffee contains no sugar at all, neither does the several liters of water I drink daily.

[overherebc]

18 grams per 100 cc should be outlawed never mind taxed.

[tracker1]

So is it only drinks or everything with sugar if so it will be nearly a tax on everything

! didn't know my cup of coffee had 10.5 teaspoons of sugar plus the one I add WOW !

[overherebc]

1 minute ago, ukrules said:

My coffee contains no sugar at all, neither does the several liters of water I drink daily.

I got used to that in Norway many years ago. 

Girl I lived with for a year wouldn't have sugar in the house.

[RotBenz8888]

29 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

over 18g of sugar per 100ml

That's one chewy beverage.

[Pilotman]

Try to find sugar free drinks ( diet coke etc) in a Thai 'attraction'; they just don't stock them. 

Edited July 25, 2019 by Pilotman

[overherebc]

While I agree with cutting down on sugar and of course smoking there is another way to look at banging up the tax on them.

Those who are the lowest earners will have less money to buy fruit and veg'.

Edited July 25, 2019 by overherebc

[carabaothai]

we don't have to eat more than 30 g of sugar a day!

18g/100cc ????????????

Who will pay the health bills of this new sugar generation kids in 20 years.. with diabet, heart diseases, obesity .... They have no health insurance! 

[carabaothai]

14 hours ago, Pilotman said:

Try to find sugar free drinks ( diet coke etc) in a Thai 'attraction'; they just don't stock them. 

And look at the foods-drinks in 7/11 and family mart : maybe 80% is just bad industrial food with sugar and fats!

[Pilotman]

3 minutes ago, carabaothai said:

And look at the foods-drinks in 7/11 and family mart : maybe 80% is just bad industrial food with sugar and fats!

yep and they regularly run out of the only diet drink they do stock, Coke Light. 

[fforest1]

I only smoke cigarettes and drink a lot of beer but I dont drink sugary drinks so this tax does not bother me...

[alien365]

I am what seems forever reading labels of yoghurt and mostly leave empty handed due to the sugar content. I bought some sugar free sprite and spy red last week too. Both were more expensive than the originals and both have a worse taste. 

[cracker1]

Why did not the Government just tax the processed sugar, and have only one product to tax instead of thousands ?

I suppose more jobs for the Government servants ?

[PatOngo]

10 hours ago, overherebc said:

While I agree with cutting down on sugar and of course smoking there is another way to look at banging up the tax on them.

Those who are the lowest earners will have less money to buy fruit and veg'.

They'll still have a Honda Click and an iPhone though!

[Tropposurfer]

Damn! Now my lifelong plan to develop diabetes is going to cost me more !!!!!!

[DrTuner]

'475ml or one cup of fresh coffee - 10.5 teaspoons of sugar'

 

Crikey. Big cups and tons of sugar. I thought I have a big cup, 2dl and 2 spoons of sugar is just about as sweet as I can handle. That stuff is pure poison.

[djayz]

On 7/25/2019 at 6:51 PM, snoop1130 said:

yoghurt with 400ml containg 19 teaspoons of sugar

This can't be right, can it?!?!?! 

I eat a yoghurt almost daily, and have been doing so for as long as I can remember... Honestly, I've never once checked the sugar content of yoghurt... This simply can't be right... I almost fell off my seat when I read this. AND I drink an average of 3 or 4 cups of coffee daily adding slightly less than one spoon of sugar (I've slowly reduced the sugar from 2 spoons/cup to just under 1 spoon/cup with the intention of getting it down to half a spoon or less by the end of the year). 

Those figures are mind blowing! Let's not forget all the sugar they add to every meal as well! 

My grandmother, parental side, suffered from diabetes, my father suffers from diabetes and I'm starting to show the symptoms of diabetes as well (hence my efforts to reduce my sugar consumption). I'm simply speechless at seeing these numbers.

Edited July 26, 2019 by djayz

[SOTIRIOS]

...why do they switch from grams..to teaspoons...

 

...yet fail to mention that there are 4.2 grams of sugar in each teaspoon....???

 

....this conversion indicates the actual astronomical amounts of sugar in those drinks mentioned...

[khunPer]

Some images for simplified comparison...

 

 

Per 100 ml...

 

[daveAustin]

On 7/25/2019 at 1:21 PM, overherebc said:

I got used to that in Norway many years ago. 

Girl I lived with for a year wouldn't have sugar in the house.

Mine neither, aside from the bit I keep hidden away (from kids) for visitors' tea/coffee.

 

Good start, but not enough, should be bold moves like 100% tax on sugary tripe like Coke. As for packaged fruit juice, one may as well be drinking sweetened, pasteurised sugar water. In two minds? Do yourself a favour: eat an orange and drink a glass of water.  

[Oxx]

They try and present this as being for the health of the nation, but in reality it's just another revenue raising ploy.  Consumers aren't going to notice the maximum tax of 5 baht/litre, and certainly aren't going to change their behaviour because of it.

[RocketDog]

On 7/26/2019 at 10:07 AM, alien365 said:

I am what seems forever reading labels of yoghurt and mostly leave empty handed due to the sugar content. I bought some sugar free sprite and spy red last week too. Both were more expensive than the originals and both have a worse taste. 

I hear ya.

I started making my own yogurt again after moving here a few years ago.

 

It's ridiculously simple and after preparation the culture time at typical ambient temperatures I Thailand is only 8 hours. Incubating it at 90-100F speeds up the process if you care about that. I make it in the morning and it's done in late afternoon.

 

Buy milk, heat to near boiling (180-190F), cool to less than 100F, add a few spoons of your last batch or a tiny container from the store (10baht), pour into containers and let it sit in a warm place until cultured to your preferred thickness. Letting it go longer increases the acetic acid content and makes it more tangy.

 

Don't add fruit until culturing ends, before refrigerating. Adding a swirl of honey or sprinkling with ovaltine (yes, adding sugar) is an option too. I like to add roasted peanuts to boost the protein content.

 

I buy shelled /skinned raw peanuts at Makro and roast them myself. They are significantly cheaper than buying roasted peanuts too. A half kilo cost me 38฿ at Makro. I also make my own bread and enjoy doing these things and knowing what I'm consuming.

 

My Thai GF has learned to love yogurt and making a variety of different sandwiches as well. Peanut butter and mango/dragon fruit sandwiches are a real treat.

 

The result is fresher and healthier than what you buy, not to mention less than half the cost.

 

Another benefit is that you feel like you're taking more control in what you eat and it makes good barstool conversation!

[zydeco]

12 hours ago, khunPer said:

Some images for simplified comparison...

 

 

Per 100 ml...

 

Wow. Dr. Pepper is almost a health drink! I love Dr. Pepper. Too bad it's rarer than gold in Thailand. Last time I found some I had to pay 46 baht per can.

[alien365]

1 hour ago, RocketDog said:

 

Buy milk, heat to near boiling (180-190F), cool to less than 100F, add a few spoons of your last batch or a tiny container from the store (10baht), pour into containers and let it sit in a warm place until cultured to your preferred thickness. 

In your opinion, which milk here is best to use and how long will the yoghurt last? I'm happy to give it a go as I feel I need to keep an eye on my sugar intake. 

[Trollmann]

11 hours ago, zydeco said:

Wow. Dr. Pepper is almost a health drink! I love Dr. Pepper. Too bad it's rarer than gold in Thailand. Last time I found some I had to pay 46 baht per can.

Villa market have Dr. Pepper imported from UK. I bought a lot when they had promotion 25 baht but now the price is back up so i had to og back to the habbit of drinking Coca cola

Edited July 27, 2019 by Trollmann

[Inn Between]

They should attack soda pop and its equivalents with everything they've got to deter people from drinking it.  It seems to be one of the worst contributors to obesity and diabetes.  

[Number 6]

I love sweets but I only drink water, soda water, scotch, bourbon and beer. Wine with a meal. Juices on rare occasion. Sweet drinks are disgusting and highly caloric.

 

I bet many juices hit this sugar mark. Insane to think orange and mixed juice will get hit with junk food tax.

Edited July 27, 2019 by Number 6

[Gumballl]

On 7/26/2019 at 10:04 AM, djayz said:

This can't be right, can it?!?!?! 

I eat a yoghurt almost daily, and have been doing so for as long as I can remember... Honestly, I've never once checked the sugar content of yoghurt... This simply can't be right... I almost fell off my seat when I read this. AND I drink an average of 3 or 4 cups of coffee daily adding slightly less than one spoon of sugar (I've slowly reduced the sugar from 2 spoons/cup to just under 1 spoon/cup with the intention of getting it down to half a spoon or less by the end of the year). 

Those figures are mind blowing! Let's not forget all the sugar they add to every meal as well! 

My grandmother, parental side, suffered from diabetes, my father suffers from diabetes and I'm starting to show the symptoms of diabetes as well (hence my efforts to reduce my sugar consumption). I'm simply speechless at seeing these numbers.

Try cutting out the consumption of rice. That will also help a lot.

[robblok]

Cutting out sugary drinks is one of the hardest things to do for me. I have done it almost completely I rather eat my calories then drink them. 

 

I am quite lean now and i like to keep it that way, its nice to be in shape and have the extra energy that comes with it. 

 

I used to drink quite a few fruit juices and sugary drinks still love the fruit juices but just don't buy them anymore and when I eat out I order water.