Kailangan araling mabuti ang planong dagdag buwis sa sweetened beverages.
Ito ang inihayag ni House Ways and Means Committee Chair Joey Salceda sa kabila ng pagbaba sa inflation rate sa 5.4%.
Punto ng mambabatas, kahit bumagal ang inflation ay ilang food items ang nananatiling mataas.
Halimbawa aniya nito ang harina at tinapay na nasa 11% inflation; gatas, iba pang dairy products at itlog na nasa 11.2%; fruits and nuts na nasa 11.4% at gulay na nasa 12.7%
Habang ang sweetened beverage ay nasa 7% lang.
Ibig sabihin, mas mahal ang alternatibo at masusustansyang pagkain kaysa junk food.
Kaya aniya dapat aralin muna ang dagdag tax sa matatamis na inumim at planong junk food tax.
“Broken down, however, inflation in key food items convinces me that recent proposals to increase taxes on sweetened beverages and impose new taxes on junk food need further refinement and study…healthier alternatives to junk food and drinks are becoming expensive, and I would be very hesitant to impose food taxes in such conditions.” paliwanag ni Salceda.| ulat ni Kathleen Jean Forbes
