Iloilo First District Representative Janette Garin on Monday, Nov. 4, said the proposed imposition of higher taxes on salty food products would hurt the pockets of low-income families.
“We have to understand that many Filipinos do not have refrigerators in their houses, so essentially, they will buy salted fish to preserve it for the next few days,” she said.
Garin urged the Department of Health (DOH) to look for other ways to discourage excessive consumption of salt.
“Salt, used moderately, aids our digestion and excretion,” the former health secretary stressed.
“The unique identification of any Filipino household is marked with having a salt in our kitchen and eating tuyo, daing and bagoong to name a few,” Garin added.
The lawmaker said the proposed “salt tax” would also have negative effects on the livelihoods of fishermen and their families, consequently making salty food products less affordable for every Filipino.
“If we are really concerned about addressing the excessive consumption of salt as a health issue, it is high time for us to revisit the implementation of Republic Act No. 8172, otherwise known as Asin Law,” Garin said.
“RA 8172 was enacted to address the lack of micronutrients in the country, and after more than 20 years of its passage, a probe is necessary to discuss solutions that are relevant not just to health, but also in the preservation of culture and means of livelihood for those families who depend on the local salt industry,” she added.
Last week, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III proposed to impose additional taxes on products with too much salt.
We’ve seen the positive effects on increasing taxes on sin products, the same strategy might work also for excessive consumption of salt,” Duque said.
We did the same thing for taxing sugar sweetened beverages. So it might be the most effective way to go,” he added.IMT
