South African Sugar Industry Crushed by Not So Sweet Tax – 13th March 2019

A tax on sugary beverages that went into effect in April 2018 is straining the South African sugar industry.  Adding to the pressure, in February 2019, the Minister of Finance announced a 5 percent increase in the tax on sweetened beverages from 2.1 cents to 2.21 cents per gram of sugar content that exceeds 4 grams per 100 ml.  The “sugar tax” impacts both domestic and imported beverage products equally, and is causing negative impacts to the beverage and sugar sectors in South Africa.  The suga…