Some 300,000 low-income patrons and owners of sari-sari stores and carinderias all over the country have signed a petition asking government to scrap a proposed “sweet tax” on sugar-sweetened beverage now pending in the Senate.
The signature drive was spearheaded by the Philippine Association of Stores and Carinderia Owners, who said the additional excise tax on such beverages as soft drinks and powdered juices would jack up prices and effectively destroy the livelihood of millions of Filipinos.
The group said in an open letter that it supports the Duterte administration’s poverty alleviation, but the “sweet tax” was anti-poor. Some 80 percent of the consumers of affected products are low-income earners, while the covered goods constitute 40 percent of the income of sari-sari store owners.
“We understand and support our government’s need to raise money for its various social and infrastructure programs to help improve the lives of the Filipino people and sustain the country’s economic growth, [but] this bill is anti-poor and will make small micro-retailers, consumers, sugar and coffee farmers, and manufacturing plant workers carry the burden,” said Pasco president Vicky Aguinaldo.