Prepackaged drinks without added sugar are to be exempted from commodity taxes, following amendments passed yesterday by the Legislative Yuan.
The change to the Commodity Tax Act (貨物稅條例) was a bipartisan effort to improve public health by making bottled beverages without added sugar a more appealing choice for consumers.
About one in every three children in Taiwan is overweight, while half of adults experience weight problems.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
Article 8 of the act already exempts “pure natural fruit juice, fruit syrup, concentrated fruit syrup, concentrated fruit juice and pure natural vegetable juice” that is in compliance with national standards from commodity taxes.
The change also removes the 13 percent commodity tax on color televisions, video recorders, record players and audio recorders.
The reasoning behind the removal of the appliances from the list is that they have become essential consumer goods for many, calling the fairness and legitimacy of levying taxes on them into question.
They are also being replaced by new products, leading to a decrease in tax revenue.
The legislature also passed two resolutions related to the new amendments.
The first is that the Ministry of Finance is to prepare a one-year assessment report on tax exemptions for household appliances.
The second is that the ministry is to provide data on commodity and business taxes for imported and domestically produced beverages according to their price as part of efforts to ensure that consumers see the benefits of the new exemptions.
The ministry would also work with consumer protection agencies and other institutions to monitor whether companies have passed on the benefits to consumers.
Chang Chih-jen (張智仁), honorary chairman of the Taipei-based Chinese Taipei Society for the Study of Obesity, said that the Legislative Yuan should expand the tax exemption to other drinks without added sugar in a bid to improve public health.
Excessive sugar intake is linked to high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, cardiovascular issues and chronic diseases, Chang told reporters.
Sugary drinks are a potential contributing factor to obesity in Taiwan, he said.
Eliminating taxes on sugar-free drinks is an implicit tax on drinks with added sugar, as it makes the public aware that the government is taking their health seriously and is promoting awareness of sugar’s harmful effects, he said.
Only prepackaged sugar-free drinks are exempt, while hand-shaken ones are not, he said.
The next step should be to expand the exemption to hand-shaken drinks so there is a consistent “sugar-free, tax-free” system, Chang said, adding that higher taxes should be levied on shaken drinks with added sugar.
Taipei Medical University School of Nutrition and Health Sciences head Hsia Shih-min (夏詩閔) told reporters that excessive sugar intake is linked to several chronic diseases.
Encouraging consumers to choose sugar-free drinks is good for public health, Hsia said, adding that he supports the new amendments.
Encouraging people to reduce their sugar intake requires continued advocacy from civic groups, as well as communication and coordination between the government and business, changes in people’s purchasing choices and enhanced nutrition education, he said.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS