Higher excise tax on sweetened drinks ready for cabinet approval 

 

 

Excise Department says it is preparing a proposal to increase taxes on soft drinks with sugar contents exceeding the specified limit for the cabinet to approve.

 

Director-general of the Excise Department Somchai Poolsavasdi revealed yesterday that the department was finalizing a proposed amendment to Article 29 of Excise Law covering taxes for soft drinks, sugar-added green tea, juices, and energy drinks.

 

Under the new proposal, soft drinks would be taxed according to sugar content which is unprecedented in the country.

 

These would cover not only carbonated soft drinks and fruit juices but would also target energy drinks and green teas as well.

 

Full Story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/higher-excise-tax-sweetened-drinks-ready-cabinet-approval/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-8-23

Good news IMO, and the start slowly-reducing the permitted sugar-levels, above which the extra tax cuts-in.

 

The WHO says 1-in-13 Thai adults has diabetes, time for some government-action.

 

http://www.who.int/features/2012/story_diabetes_thailand/en/

So, the headline is wrong as is so common here.  It is not a "sweetened drinks" tax it is a SUGAR tax.   About time too, if it will do any good except to the exchequer.    Will Diet Coke  & Pepsi Max etc be exempt.  Logically they will not be taxed but ..............................!!

Edited August 24, 20178 yr by The Deerhunter

Personally I'd also hope that it encourages the launch of more zero-sugar drinks too, the choice is currently very-limited, and perhaps just-as-importantly raise Thai awareness of the dangers of too-much sugar in their diet ?

2 hours ago, Ricardo said:

Personally I'd also hope that it encourages the launch of more zero-sugar drinks too, the choice is currently very-limited, and perhaps just-as-importantly raise Thai awareness of the dangers of too-much sugar in their diet ?

The only soft drink that I ever see without all that sugar is soda water . Do you know of any others ?

Don't forget to tax the sugar free drinks with sugar tax such as Belgium did.


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5 hours ago, superal said:

The only soft drink that I ever see without all that sugar is soda water . Do you know of any others ?

 

Diet Coke, Coke Zero & Persi Max, and of course water, if that also counts.

 

Sprite Zero launched, but was quicly withdrawn, only a few farangs bought it.

 

We did see some flavoured soda-waters, they didn't last long either. 

On ‎8‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 4:13 AM, Ricardo said:

Good news IMO, and the start slowly-reducing the permitted sugar-levels, above which the extra tax cuts-in.

 

The WHO says 1-in-13 Thai adults has diabetes, time for some government-action.

 

http://www.who.int/features/2012/story_diabetes_thailand/en/

LOL.   Yeah, like it's all about the public health, and not topping up the feeding trough...   'Not a swipe at the Thais though, as the dumbed-down public in the west has been buying this snake oil pretext for decades now.

 

Edited August 24, 20178 yr by hawker9000

40 minutes ago, hawker9000 said:

LOL.   Yeah, like it's all about the public health, and not topping up the feeding trough...   'Not a swipe at the Thais though, as the dumbed-down public in the west has been buying this snake oil pretext for decades now.

 

Coming soon, Sugar  will be ranked alongside smoking etc.

I have the ability to choose and decide what I eat,  I don't  need to be TOLD, I understand the consequences and if I  kill myself eating them I accept    this,.

I won't expect the state to fund my healthcare ( not that they do anyway)

Yes it's  just a  tax  raiser under the guise of "it's for your own good"

If they're  cunning they'll raise it  just 1  baht per drink, start small always gets little  attention then later can ramp it right up.

How about a  tax on fat Police and govt. officials also?

Thailand, its  just a farce, how else can we  afford more submarines yet have roads in a  diabolical state out in the boonies!

2 hours ago, hawker9000 said:

LOL.   Yeah, like it's all about the public health, and not topping up the feeding trough...   'Not a swipe at the Thais though, as the dumbed-down public in the west has been buying this snake oil pretext for decades now.

I really don't care what the motivation might be, just so long as it helps (in a very small way) to adjust peoples' eating-habits, in a slightly-healthier direction, do you ?  There are way-too-many chubby/fat Thai kids on-the-streets !

 

And I do have a personal axe-to-grind too, I'll freely admit, I would like to see a wider choice of options available, as I scan my local-supermarket's low-choice shelves !

 

You talk as though raising a bit more tax-revenue would be bad, yet Thailand has been running a budget-deficit for a decade, so if it were actually to do something small towards addressing this, it could only be a good thing IMO !

 

I've also seen in-the-past how a small tax-change, the cutting of tax on lead-free petrol in the UK, can cause a major change in public buying-habits.

 

So for once, and very rarely, this is a tax-increase I welcome !

25 minutes ago, Ricardo said:

I really don't care what the motivation might be, just so long as it helps (in a very small way) to adjust peoples' eating-habits, in a slightly-healthier direction, do you ?  There are way-too-many chubby/fat Thai kids on-the-streets !

 

And I do have a personal axe-to-grind too, I'll freely admit, I would like to see a wider choice of options available, as I scan my local-supermarket's low-choice shelves !

 

You talk as though raising a bit more tax-revenue would be bad, yet Thailand has been running a budget-deficit for a decade, so if it were actually to do something small towards addressing this, it could only be a good thing IMO !

 

I've also seen in-the-past how a small tax-change, the cutting of tax on lead-free petrol in the UK, can cause a major change in public buying-habits.

 

So for once, and very rarely, this is a tax-increase I welcome !

This is your version of "freedom of choice" ?

 

I think a government undertaking to tell people what's good for them, and go about it by extorting money out of them, is an extremely bad, no, an abusive, idea.  The wingnuts who consistently favor this approach never seem to want to address the fact that it impacts lower income folks far more than the better off.  'Course personal liberties aren't even on the table to begin with.  With taxationconfiscation, "progressive" is supposedly the ever so righteous way to go about it, until you can just steal money for those elite boondoggles, bureaucratic perks and payoffs right at the checkout counter.  Will the money go for anything at all having to do with prevention, education or treatment?   Not a chance.   Will the dumbed-down, acceptance-indoctrinated masses object?  Same answer; particularly where they can be told anything and opposition to these scams simply isn't allowed.

 

Why not just lock people in their houses, allow them out to work, and deliver them govt-imposed rations?  Maybe take them out occasionally for exercise at gunpoint.  Won't that "ensure their health" to your satisfaction?  Where does this "we know what's good for you" crap ever end?  For a crowd that wants to limit sweets, the nanny-staters sure drink a lot of Kool-Aid.

 

If you want to eliminate sweets, join weightwatchers on your own dime, and leave the rest of us alone.

 

 

Edited August 25, 20178 yr by hawker9000

Happily we already used our 'freedom-of-choice' to relocate to here !

 

Now if only we had more 'freedom-of-choice', from a wider selection being available on-the-shelves, which would also make more tax-money available for things like social-care or health-spending ... that's just win-win !

 

You just carry on exercising your freedom, live on high-fructose corn-syrup drinks & burgers if you want, and I'll exercise my 'freedom-of-choice' as I see fit.  Oh and you might want to watch a film called  "Supersize Me !" sometime, or not, up-to-you !

Edited August 25, 20178 yr by Ricardo

23 hours ago, Ricardo said:

 

Diet Coke, Coke Zero & Persi Max, and of course water, if that also counts.

 

Sprite Zero launched, but was quicly withdrawn, only a few farangs bought it.

 

We did see some flavoured soda-waters, they didn't last long either. 

Correct me if I am wrong but I believe that your named drinks above  also come with  their own risks as Google search will show ( bar water of course )

39 minutes ago, superal said:

Correct me if I am wrong but I believe that your named drinks above  also come with  their own risks as Google search will show ( bar water of course )

 

Indeed, you pays your money, and chooses your poison !

 

And I understand people sometimes drown in water, too, dangerous stuff really !

 

Life is 100%-fatal, sooner or later !

 

 

 

 

Edited August 25, 20178 yr by Ricardo

its the cost to the health system to help all those overweight, diabetics thats the problem, same as cancer from smoking etc. Diabetes cost the tax payers lots to cover their medical visits, trying to stop the increasing numbers of people with diabetes is a good thing but they also need to look at what they eat, too many thai foods are loaded with sugar, as a diebetic I watch what I eat and dont buy drinks loaded with it either, problem with thais is they dont care and just keep consuming sugar drinks etc, if they cost more hopefully they will stop buying them and as for your rights, they are a heap cheaper here than in western countries where they have done similar things with the pricing so there isnt that much tom bitch about