DoF to ‘discuss’ salty food tax with DoH

Credit to Author: Mayvelin U. Caraballo, TMT| Date: Fri, 01 Nov 2019 16:17:04 +0000

THE Department of Finance (DoF) is open to discuss the Department of Health’s (DoH) plan to push for higher taxes on salty foods.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd

“We have to discuss it thoroughly with them,” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd told reporters in a message on Friday.

The Health department announced the plan earlier this week with the goal of decreasing the sodium intake of Filipinos through the consumption of salty foods.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), its member-states, which include the Philippines, have agreed to reduce the global population’s salt intake by 30 percent by 2025.

The WHO warned that high sodium consumption and insufficient potassium intake contribute to high blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

It said most people consume too much salt — 9 to 12 grams a day on average, or about twice the recommended maximum intake level.

The health organization recommends that adults consume fewer than 5 grams of salt a day, and that the recommended maximum intake of salt for adults be lowered for children between two and 15 years old, based on their energy requirements relative to those of adults.

“An estimated 2.5 million deaths could be prevented each year if global salt consumption were reduced to the recommended level,” the WHO said.

The planned tax measure was similar to the Health department-supported sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax, which was implemented under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act at the start of 2018.

The health measure slapped a P6-per-liter tax on beverages using caloric and non-caloric sweeteners and P12 per liter on those using high-fructose corn syrup. Milk and three-in-one coffee mixes are exempted from this tax.

As of the first half of 2019, SSB tax exceeded the government’s target by P1.5 billion to P24.9 billion on the back of “improved compliance as result of the issuance of a revenue regulation that provided clear guidelines on the coverage of the SB excise tax,” the Finance department said.

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