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Singapore has joined other countries in the war against diabetes to fight sugar and could imitate it by imposing taxes and restrictions on the sale of sugary drinks.
Here is an overview of what countries like Malaysia, Thailand, India and the United States are doing to reduce the sugar intake of their citizens.
Malaysia: the largest country in Asia must do more than tax sugar
In an effort to combat obesity in Malaysia, the government has opted for a sugar tax that will be implemented in April this year.
With nearly half of its obese population, Malaysia is considered the largest country in Asia. The Pakatan Harapan administration believes that taxing non-alcoholic beverages and sugar-rich juices would help alleviate the problem.
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Philippines: decline in sales; savings in health care
The Philippines levied taxes on sweetened beverages on Jan. 1 last year as part of an extensive tax reform program aimed at preventing more than 24,000 premature deaths from diseases such as diabetes. , stroke and heart failure over the past 20 years.
A tax of 6 pesos (S $ 0.16) per liter was applied on beverages containing sugar and other sweeteners, and 12 pesos per liter on high fructose corn syrup.
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Thailand: consumption drops after the imposition of the sugar tax
On average, Thais consume about 26 teaspoons of sugar a day, health officials said in 2015. Sugar is found in snacks and everyday foods, such as noodles, but it is mostly eaten in pre-packaged drinks.
Concerned about health care costs related to obesity, diabetes and heart disease, the government introduced a sugar tax to encourage beverage manufacturers to reduce their sweetness.
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India: Sin tax does not quench sweet drinks
Often described as the "diabetes capital of the world," India has announced its intention to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks by placing them in the highest tax bracket of 28% for product tax and services in July 2017.
In addition, sugar and carbonated water and flavored water were subject to a 12 per cent "financial compensation", a sin tax, a category mainly reserved for harmful products such as tobacco.
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United States: coups, failures and corporate responses
Eight cities in the United States imposed taxes ranging from 1 to 3 US cents (US $ 0.02 to 0.04) per ounce (30 ml) on sweetened beverages, the largest source of added sugar in the Americans diet, since 2014.
Some of these soft drink taxes have worked well, but others face negative reactions from local grocers and consumers. Cook County, Illinois, repealed its tax only two months after its entry into force.
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Britain: Consumers are not sold with a message about the risk of obesity
The UK sugar tax, which came into effect last April, aimed to combat childhood obesity and to encourage soft drink producers to reformulate their products or reduce portion sizes.
HM Revenue & Customs – UK tax, payments and customs authorities – said that between the announcement of the tax in 2016 and its entry into force two years later, more than 50% of drinks in volume had enough sugar removed to no longer be affected by the tax.
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Other parts of Europe
In France, a tax on sodas on sweetened drinks, including those containing artificial sweeteners, was introduced with the aim of promoting healthy lifestyles among children and avoiding the risks of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
In Norway, the tax on sugar is due on imported sugar and domestically produced sugar. All candies, chocolate, chewing gum and other products such as cookies are also taxed. A tax on non-alcoholic beverages applies to all sweetened beverages, including those containing sweeteners. The sugar tax was intended to generate revenue from small luxury goods – it was not intended to improve health.
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