The non-profit Healthy Living Alliance (Heala) is lobbying the Treasury to raise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages and expand the net to include fruit juices to increase its effect.

In 2018, SA became the first African country to introduce a sugar tax, known as the health-promotion levy.

A Business Day report says the levy was initially set at 2.1c/g of sugar per 100ml above a 4g threshold. It was increased to 2.2c a year later.

‘The sugary drinks industry such as Coca-Cola have pushed back on the original call for a 20% tax to a point where the government compromised on an 11% tax. We are continuing our call for the tax to be increased so there can be real results,’ said Heala’s Lawrence Mbalati.

The 4g threshold was not in the government’s initial proposals, and it was introduced in response to pressure from industry.

The change reduced the tax levied on sugary drinks. Heala said it was calling for an expansion of the sugary drinks tax to include fruit juices because although they were punted as a healthier alternative to fizzy drinks this was not the case.

A 250ml glass of fruit juice contained on average 6½ teaspoons of sugar, a level comparable to that of many sugary sodas and energy drinks, it said.

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