Proposal to establish health tax on products containing sugar and fat

Delegate Pham Trong Nhan (Ho Chi Minh City Delegation) proposed to build a health tax on products containing sugar and fat, encouraging businesses to improve their products. At the same time, reduce taxes on natural products with few additives, so that financial policy goes hand in hand with health policy.

Mr. Pham Trong Nhan speaks (Photo: Quang Vinh)

On November 10, the National Assembly discussed in the hall: the Population Law Project; the Disease Prevention Law Project.

Delegate Pham Trong Nhan (Ho Chi Minh City Delegation) said that in order to control disease risk factors, it is necessary to amend Clause 2, Article 15 in the direction of clearly binding responsibilities and implementation deadlines: "The Government is responsible for promulgating and periodically updating the list of products and risk factors that are not beneficial to health; regulating management measures, including warning labels, restricting advertising, controlling distribution in educational institutions and applying appropriate health tax policies. Within 12 months from the effective date of the Law, the Government, the Ministry of Health and relevant ministries must complete detailed regulations; after the deadline, temporary application will be made according to the criteria announced by the Ministry of Health".

In addition, it is necessary to ban marketing aimed at children under 16 years old on all platforms, clearly define safe areas for school nutrition; and ban the sale and advertising of products with warning labels within schools according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization and in accordance with Vietnamese practice.

Along with that, Mr. Nhan also proposed to build a health tax on products containing sugar and fat, encouraging businesses to improve their products. At the same time, reduce taxes on natural products with few additives, so that financial policy goes hand in hand with health policy.

According to Delegate Tran Thi Nhi Ha (Hanoi Delegation), according to WHO, human health is affected by four basic groups of factors: social, environmental, economic and behavioral. Therefore, Ms. Ha stated that disease prevention is not only based on clinical and epidemiological issues but also needs to address root causes such as living conditions, working environment, air quality, clean water, food and access to health services.

Ms. Ha said that expanding the scope of regulation in Article 1 is extremely necessary, creating a clear legal basis for building programs to improve community health; at the same time, specifically defining the responsibilities of each ministry, branch, and government at all levels in managing and controlling risk factors, to ensure people's health not only through medicine and hospitals but also through a healthy living environment, fair socio-economic policies and positive living behaviors.

From there, Ms. Ha proposed to revise Article 1 in the direction: "This Law regulates the prevention and control of infectious diseases; prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, mental health disorders; prevention and control of risk factors from the environment, lifestyle, behavior and nutrition; improving public health; applying science, technology, digital transformation in public health management; adapting to climate change and ensuring health equity".

Regarding the State’s policy on disease prevention, Ms. Ha said that the current legal system has regulations on preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco, alcohol and products that have a direct impact on consumers’ health. Therefore, the Law on Disease Prevention needs to be stronger, more drastic and one step ahead to protect people’s health.

Regarding nutrition for children, Ms. Ha proposed to supplement the regulations on nutrition in educational institutions as follows: "The Ministry of Health shall preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training to promulgate national regulations on nutritional standards for school meals. Educational institutions are responsible for organizing meals that ensure reasonable and scientific nutrition; limit the use of unhealthy foods that can potentially affect students' health. Prohibit the sale, advertising, and promotion of unhealthy products in and around school premises."

Viet Thang - Trung Hieu

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