Malaysia: The government should not advertise sugar as a controlled item

Published 2024년 5월 19일

Tridge summary

The CEO of the Galen Center, Azrul Mohd Khalid, has called on the government to stop gazetting sugar as a commodity under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011, citing concerns over the high sugar consumption leading to diabetes and other health issues. He argues that the government's subsidy of the sugar industry is counterproductive, as it results in low sugar prices and increased consumption. Instead, he suggests imposing a 10% midnight surcharge on food and drinks sold in licensed eateries between midnight and 6 a.m. to fund the treatment of non-communicable diseases. Additionally, he proposes increasing the excise duty on cigarettes and regulating the nicotine content of vapes to manage addiction and generate additional revenue for the government.

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Original content

KUCHING: The government should not gazette sugar as a commodity under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011. Chief Executive of the Galen Center for Health and Social Policy (Galen) Azrul Mohd Khalid said the move was necessary to reduce sugar intake and fight diabetes among Malaysians. Commenting further, he said the price control on sugar is the main factor in the excessive consumption of sugar in the food of the people of this country. "Currently the price of sugar is low and below the ceiling price due to incentive payments made by the government to the sugar industry, causing Malaysia, a non-sugar producing country, to have one of the lowest sugar prices in the world. "Cheap sugar encourages higher consumption. This subsidized tax turns out to be against any 'war on sugar' and is expected to cost the government between RM500 million and RM600 million every year," he said in a statement today. The statement was issued in an effort to support the call of the Ministry ...

Source: Utusanborneo