Sugary and sweetened beverages tax proposed

The National Federation of Departments -FND- proposed a tax on sugary and sweetened beverages to rescue the health system and improve the health of Colombians.

As an alternative to rescue the country’s hospital system from the financial crisis in which it finds itself and which was aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Federation of Departments filed a proposal in the Congress of the Republic, to tax sweetened and sugared beverages and that such collection goes directly to the country’s health system.

Currently, the debt to the public hospital network amounts to more than $10 billion pesos and according to estimates of the proposals of the Ministry of Health, National University, RedPapaz, a possible collection derived from the tax on sweetened and sweetened beverages would range between $1.5 and $2 billion pesos per year. For this reason, the proposal of the territorial entities consists of a conciliation of the different rates, determining one of 300 pesos per liter (one thousand cubic centimeters or its equivalent) for national and foreign beverages; where only dairy products, vegetable beverages, as well as panela, would be exempted.

The destination of this tax would be specific and with the following distribution: 50% of the resources would go to the public hospital network of the departments and the Capital District, and the remaining 50% to finance the operation of the health sector at the departmental level and public health investment programs and projects.

“At this moment it is not only about seeking additional income for the territorial entities, but also to guarantee the sustainability of the health system and consolidate a public health prevention strategy, in which sugar consumption is reduced and also cardiovascular risk diseases, obesity and diabetes. In addition to these benefits, we are presenting an alternative to cover the historical debt with public hospitals”, said Didier Tavera, director of the National Federation of Departments.

Once the legislative process in the plenary sessions of the House and Senate is completed, it is expected to be approved before the end of September, and that this tax will take effect as of January 1, 2022, thus guaranteeing the sustainability of the health system and providing life guarantees for Colombians.

Source: National Federation of Departments.

Source: Actualícese