The national SSB Tax coalition, Gatefield Nigeria, National Action on Sugar Reduction, One Campaign amongst other Civil Society Organisations, have tasked the Federal Government to retain the SSB tax in the 2024 fiscal policy.
According to the coalition, it will ensure the purpose of the policy is achieved as well as ensure that the government benefits from its implementation.
The CSOs, who made the call at a meeting which also had in attendance representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Ministry of Education, National Orientation Agency and others also called for the establishment of an inter-agency Adhoc committee on SSB Tax that would harmonise the views of all stakeholders.
The recommendation was made in a communique at the just concluded National conference on Sugar Sweetened Beverages (SSB) Tax orgainsed by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Wednesday in Abuja, further called on relevant stakeholders, including traditional and religious institutions, educational institutions, civil society organizations, the media, and healthcare professionals to actively engage in other to curb the SSB menace.
According to them, “the proceeds from the SSB tax should be earmarked to the health sector to support and strengthen public health systems in Nigeria.
“Stakeholders must commit to engaging central budget agencies to improve public healthcare and influence increased allocation to the healthcare sector.
“Need for the establishment of a monitoring, evaluation, and accountability framework to track the implementation and impact of the current SSB tax policy. This must be reviewed periodically.
“Need for complementary regulatory instruments like Front-of-Pack Labeling, restricting availability and marketing of SSBs in school environments among others to offer consumers more information about products.
“State authorities must strive to bring Nigerians into its social health insurance scheme to achieve universal healthcare coverage and the Federal Government and regulatory authorities must design and enforce penalties for companies that default on SSB tax obligations.”
