Higher tax on sweetened beverages expected to reduce public health woes

[Stevemercer]

What about a salt tax on salty snacks and packaged/canned food? What about a littering/plastic bag tax? What about doubling or tripling nicotine and alcohol taxes? What about some sort of tax for not wearing a helmet on a motorbike?

 

Maybe a tax on farang because they cause so many problems in the Kingdom?

 

The possibilities for extra government revenues are endless...

[sanemax]

12 hours ago, Stevemercer said:

What about a salt tax on salty snacks and packaged/canned food? What about a littering/plastic bag tax? What about doubling or tripling nicotine and alcohol taxes? What about some sort of tax for not wearing a helmet on a motorbike?

 

Maybe a tax on farang because they cause so many problems in the Kingdom?

 

The possibilities for extra government revenues are endless...

Any problems caused by felangs should be dealt with on an individual basis  , it would be unfair to put a tax on all felangs just because of the behaviour of a few 

[johnny49r]

14 hours ago, rooster59 said:

She said the main objectives of collecting higher taxes on sugar-based beverages were: to motivate producers and importers of beverages to adjust the production formula or to make healthy alternative products with an appropriate amount of sugar at 6 grams per 100 millilitres of beverage; to increase government revenue; to reduce consumption of sugary beverages; and, to reduce chronic non-communicable diseases and dental problems of Thai people.

This sentence might be more correct if it read: "She said the main objectives of collecting higher taxes on sugar-based beverages were: to justify my job and increase government revenue." 

If you make sugar water too expensive for the poor, only the rich will get diabetes and have dental problems.

[HHTel]

It's quite sad that TV posters never seem to read the thread properly and just do a 'knee-jerk' to their keyboard.

 

Rather than mock Thailand for it's sugar tax, read the results of more than 20 other countries which have had a sugar tax for some time.  In general, the manufacturers have reformulated their drinks to fall outside of the tax threshold.  A sugar tax is aimed at manufacturers as it's more difficult to change consumer habits.

 

It's working in other countries.  Why not here?

[thhMan]

so... people with higher wages can indulge all they want?

 

Why not just setup shops with admittance based on annual income.. ~sic

[Lacessit]

3 hours ago, emptypockets said:

Correct it was Wilmar. You may have been thinking of Tully Sugar or Maryborough Sugar.  Chinese and Thai interests bought into them, I don't recall who bought what. Not much of an Aussie owned sugar industry left.  Mackay Sugar is still independent but who knows how long for. Probably go broke or shutdown in the not too distant future 

CSIRO used to have quite a big sugar research laboratory in Mackay, from memory. That has probably gone too.

[fordguy61mi]

Sounds like New York and California.

[Winky Wilson]

Sugar causes

 

high uric acid

gout

hypertension

rotten teeth

atherosclerosis aka heart disease 

obesity

diabetes

 

Edited September 29, 2019 by Winky Wilson

[NotThatGuy]

23 hours ago, alant said:

I agree and without any promotion of sugar free alternatives this seems rather like nothing more than tax revenue generator. As there are so few alternatives to drinks with sugar I don't agree with unamazedloso, alternatives like diet drinks would be a bit help.

It’s true. The only alternative is soda water. Everything else is sugar. Even juice and health drinks are sugar bombs 

[KhunKenAP]

They should think about what happened a few years ago on a Tea Tax in the US. Scramble the submarine.

[paulikens]

37.5% of Thai's over 15 overweight u gotta 2 be sh**ting me. 5% maybe

[HHTel]

Quote

More than one third of Thais are overweight and one tenth are obese. Over the past two decades (1991-2009) the proportion of overweight and obese Thais over 15 years of age has doubled (from 17.2% to 34.7%) and tripled (from 3.2% to 9.1%) respectively. Over-nutrition, especially amongst pre-school and school children, must be a health priority in which all sectors increasingly should become aware of and collaborate together to resolve.

Read the full report complete with stats and graphs:

 

https://www.hiso.or.th/hiso/picture/reportHealth/ThaiHealth2014/eng2014_3.pdf

[ignis]

maybe need teach shops what SUGAR FREE means..... shopping at large superstore yesterday all soft drink were up by three  baht for  EST and 4 - 6 baht for the others made NO difference if with or without sugar

 

A SUGAR tax !!  ??  one would expect ZERO sugar or NO sugar not to have gone up

[0815]

On 9/29/2019 at 12:28 AM, unamazedloso said:

Pm2.5 is 133 in kanchanaburi this morning. Thai government dont care about the health of people clearly. They just want more stupid tanks, submarines and helicopter's. 

I should add that if you buy and consume fattening things its your own fault. How much help does the government really assist with that calls for a tax increase?

Its all bs...

My guess: The real reason is ???? ???? ????