President Lee Jae-myung has proposed discussing the collection of a so-called ‘sugar tax’ and reinvesting it in strengthening local and public healthcare.
On the 28th, the president shared an article on social media that introduces public opinion survey results related to the sugar tax. He asked, “Just like tobacco, how about suppressing sugar usage through a sugar tax and reinvesting the charge into strengthening local and public healthcare?”
A Blue House official stated that they plan to gather opinions from various sectors on issues related to public health concerns from sugar consumption and the reinvestment of funds into local and public healthcare.
The official added that discussions are ongoing about health issues, such as disease prevention, through the implementation of a sugar tax, with the Parliament scheduled to hold a forum on the sugar tax.
The article shared by President Lee mentions that 80% of the public supports the implementation of the sugar tax, alongside examples from other countries that have similar measures in place.
A survey conducted by Seoul National University’s Health Culture Business Group on January 17 revealed that 80.1% of respondents were in favor of implementing a sugar tax, and 75.1% supported taxing carbonated beverages.
However, more than 70% of respondents were unaware that governments around the world are implementing regulatory policies to reduce sugar consumption.
In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended member states introduce a sugar tax to protect public health, with statistics showing a significant reduction in sugar content in countries that have implemented such measures.
[Photo Source: Yonhap News]
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