Sugar industry body, SA Canegrowers is calling on National Treasury to not only suspend an increase in the sugar tax, but to scrap it entirely to protect the already struggling industry.
21c/g effective from April. At the time, government also revealed plans to possibly lower the threshold and extend the tax to fruit juices. Government has always argued that the sugar tax is designed to discourage the excessive consumption of sugar, which is said to be the driver of diseases such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. However, SA Canegrowers believes there is no real evidence to back government’s argument.