By Charmaine Ndlela
Civil society coalition the Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) has urged government to strengthen the Health Promotion Levy (HPL) on sugary drinks to a level it says would raise prices by about 20%.
The HPL, introduced in 2018, is not set in law as a flat percentage, but is charged as a sugar-based excise (a set amount per gram of sugar above a threshold). HEALA says the overall effect on prices has diminished as the levy has not been increased.
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HEALA communications manager Zukiswa Zimela said sugar-sweetened beverages remain a major contributor to South Africa’s growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
“Drinking sugar in liquid form is one of the most dangerous ways to consume sugar,” Zimela said.
“These drinks add calories with no nutritional value, and over time they significantly increase the
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