GOVERNMENT SHOULD increase the tax on sweetened drinks, an activist has said.
Following reports that the ten per cent imposition has been unsuccessful in curbing usage, the chief executive officer of the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados, Gina Pitts, is calling for firmer strategies to be explored to reduce sweet drinks sales.
Pitts shared the sentiment of Professor Emeritus Sir Henry Fraser, who suggested that a levy of no less than 30 per cent be imposed on sugary beverages.
“We would have to increase the tax to a realistic point where it starts to become prohibitive. But not just the [soft drinks] but anything with an excessive amount of sugar like the sports drinks,” she said. (LT)
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