Finance Ministry stands firm on sugary drink tax

🎯 The #Vietnamese Ministry of Finance is sticking to its guns on imposing a special consumption tax on sugary drinks despite beverage businesses’ claims it will not prevent obesity – the so-called “Sugar Tax”.

🧃In a bill that is being reviewed by the Ministry of Justice, the finance ministry has however amended the term “sugary drinks” into “sugary beverage under Vietnamese standards” after consulting with businesses.

🥛This excludes drinks that contain dairy, nectars and nutritious drinks from the purview of the tax. Carbonated drinks and tea, coffee, fruit juices, and sports drinks will be subject to the tax.

🧮 Today, around 85 countries have such a tax, six times the number 10 years ago.

🌏 In Southeast Asia, six out of 10 countries (Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar) have imposed a sugar tax.

🍺 The Vietnamese tax authorities also sought to bring drinks made from barley and non-alcoholic drinks under the tax’s scope, saying their production process is similar to that of beer.

🚫 Businesses oppose the rationale, saying similarities in the production process do not make them unhealthy drinks.

💰 In the past the ministry proposed taxing sugary drinks in 2014, suggesting a 10% rate, but many government agencies rejected it.

Source: https://vietnam-b2b.com/5pvd