Raising Excise Duty On Sugary Drinks: Positive Step In Combating Sugar-related Diseases - CAP

GEORGE TOWN, Oct 19 (Bernama) -- The government's proposal to raise the excise duty on sugary drinks, as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the presentation of Budget 2025 yesterday, represents a positive step in addressing various diseases linked to excessive sugar consumption.

 Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) education officer N.V. Subbarow described the announcement as a 'sweet' victory for CAP, which has long campaigned against the dangers of excessive sugar intake in both food and beverages.

He said the proposed increase of 40 cents per litre is reasonable and expressed hope that it will help curb the habit of consuming sugary products in daily life, while promoting a healthier lifestyle among the public.

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"The war on sugar is not new; CAP has been advocating this issue for more than 20 years and the government's announcement is a much-welcomed relief for us.

"As the prime minister highlighted yesterday, Malaysia is among the most obese nations in Southeast Asia, with sugar being the primary cause of non-communicable diseases. This is a deeply worrying situation if left unchecked," he told Bernama today.

Subbarow added that while diabetes used to primarily affect adults and the elderly, it now increasingly impacts children and young people, largely due to uncontrolled sugar consumption, especially from sugary drinks.

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He said parents play a vital role and that the excise duty increase should encourage them to limit or avoid sugary products for their children, thereby safeguarding their families' health.

“However, once implemented, we hope traders do not take advantage by selling old stock at higher prices or excessively inflating prices.

"While we support the government's move as a step to reduce sugar consumption, there needs to be a fair balance. The government should ensure that prices remain reasonable and do not burden consumers," he said.

Overall, Subbarow expressed CAP’s hope that this measure will lead to a reduction in diseases, particularly diabetes, contributing to a healthier society while also controlling or lowering treatment costs for such conditions.

When tabling Budget 2025 in Parliament yesterday, the prime minister announced the government’s plan to gradually increase the excise duty on sugary drinks starting Jan 1, 2025, in support of the "War on Sugar" campaign launched by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on June 29.

Anwar added that the additional revenue from this initiative will be used to fund public health efforts, including increasing the supply of SGLT-2 inhibitors for diabetes treatment, expanding access to peritoneal dialysis for end-stage kidney patients and upgrading dialysis centres managed by the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA).

-- BERNAMA