Taguig sari-sari store owners protest sugary drinks tax

Several sari-sari store owners in Taguig City closed their shops on Friday to protest the proposed excise tax on sugar-sweetened drinks, GMA News TV program " Balitanghali" reported.

The shop owners pointed out that sales from softdrinks and juices often made up half of their day's profits.

"Kaunti nalang nga 'yung benta mo, mas mahal pa 'yung bibilhin mo dahil dito sa nakaabang na pagpatong ng buwis," a store owner argued. "Kung mawala po ito, alam na po natin ang mangyayari -- gutom sa mahihirap."

In the Senate's version of the sugary-drinks tax, a tax of P5 per liter of volume will be levied on sweetened drinks using purely caloric sweeteners, P10 on drinks using purely high fructose corn syrup or in combination with any caloric or non-caloric sweetener, and P3 per liter on drinks using purely non-caloric sweeteners or a mix of caloric and non-caloric sweeteners.

The Senate had earlier rejected Senator Ralph Recto's proposal to only levy P3 per liter of volume capacity on all sweetened beverages, except for milk and 3-in-1 coffee. http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/634107/senate-rejects-recto-proposal-to-cut-excise-tax-on-sweetened-drinks/story/

Recto had argued that not only would small business owners be affected by the tax, it would also affect the manufacturers of the sugary beverages.

"It's not only the sari-sari store. Kasama 'yung planta because the volumes will drop. Today kasi, we're consuming 7 billion liters," Recto explained.

The sugary-drinks tax was created to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks, which were deemed unhealthy.

The tax was also part of the government's first package of tax reform measures, which aimed to lower income taxes while limiting value-added tax exemptions, and adjusting excise taxes on oil and automobiles. — Margaret Claire Layug/DVM, GMA News