The National Action on Sugar Reduction Coalition has called on the National Assembly to fast track the passage of bill on tax on carbonated drinks.

The call was made in a statement signed by NASR Coalition Representative, Omei Bongos-Ikwe, and issued to newsmen in Abuja on Friday.

It stated that the call was made during a virtual stakeholders meeting conveyed NASR on Wednesday, which had the attendance of a member of the House of Representatives, Abubakar Nalaraba.

According to the statement, Nalaraba pledges the support of the National Assembly on the carbonated drink tax which is being advocated for by the coalition.

It said that earlier this year, Nalaraba had sponsored a motion that was presented before the National Assembly calling for tax on carbonated drinks and a ban on misleading packaging claims.

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The statement noted that NASR coalition and its partners, comprising 16 health groups, had previously written to the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, urging her to proposed carbonated drinks tax.

NASR in the statement also praised the minister for her announcement recently about the “pro-health” tax.

It provided evidence from several geographies, including South Africa, where similar taxes have worked to reduce the consumption
of carbonated drinks and other sugary beverages.

The coalition in the statement also cited key outcomes from South Africa’s carbonated drinks tax, known as the “health promotion levy”, which raises prices of beverages by taxing them according to the amount of sugar the drink contains.

“Notably, with a tax equivalent to 15 U.S. cents per gramme of sugar, South Africa’s sugary beverage tax generated USD140 million in the first year,” it said.

The coalition, however, made a case for a similar tax in Nigeria, adding that, nearly 80 per cent of Nigerians pay out of pocket for healthcare.

The coalition said that high tax on Nigerians who patronise these beverages would be a protective measure, adding that drink manufacturing companies pay nothing for the harm their products cause.

It added that these beverages target low socioeconomic groups by offering higher drink volumes at lower prices, to the detriment of health.