CAPPA Calls For Review Of SSBs Tax

Federal Government has been called upon to increase the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) tax from N10 to N130 per litre.

The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) made the call in Abuja, during public presentation and launch of simulation study of research result themed: Potential Fiscal and Public Health Effects of Sugar-sweetened Beverage SSB Tax in Nigeria .

The Executive Director, CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi stressed the need for the call considering public health concerns and the economic impact of excessive consumption of SSBs.

Mr Oluwafemi highlighted the relationship between the rise in non-communicable disease (NCD) cases and the growing consumption of SSBs, as well as other unhealthy products like alcohol, tobacco, and non-nutritive diets that are detrimental to health.

He emphasised on the importance of prioritizing public health over profit motives, by proposing a dynamic framework that is adjustable for inflation and allocates a portion of the tax for public health initiatives in the 2024 Fiscal Act,

“It is a cycle that needs to break. In a country with more than 80% of its population paying for healthcare out-of-pocket, we must find a policy pathway that will effectively remove obstacles to good health and national productivity like modifiable risk factors of consumption-related diseases and other NCDs.”

In his remark, the Director, Public Health Department, Federal Ministry of Health Dr. Chukwuma Anyaike , said the frequent consumption of SSB is associated with increased incidence of dental cavities, tooth decay and obesity.

According to him, obesity is in turn a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, heart disease, stroke and hypertension, as well as some forms of cancer.

“An estimated 38.6 million litres of soft drink are sold daily in Nigeria, making it the 4th highest soft drink consuming country in the world. The drinks are marketed in such a way that customers believe that they get better value when they buy the biggest bottles of soft drink, leading to over consumption”

Earlier, in an address, the Nigerian Coordinator,  Global Health Advocacy Incubator, Joy Amafah expressed hope that the study would be useful to everyone in addressing health concerns around excessive consumption of SSBs and the economic impact in generating revenues for the country that can be earmarked into the health sector, and a triple benefit of reducing the burden on the healthcare system.

By Shakirah Alabi