Tax the Grams, Not the Bottle — Epoche A2
Tax the grams, not the bottle Since April 2018, South Africa has taxed sugary drinks. The clever part is not the tax; it is the counting. The first four grams of sugar in every 100 millilitres are free. Above that line, the maker pays about two cents for every extra gram. The tax does not ask what the drink is called or how it is advertised. It asks one question: how much sugar is inside? Look at what that does. A company cannot escape by making the bottle prettier or the advert louder. There is only one door out: take sugar out of the drink. And that is what happened. After 2018, many drinks on our shelves quietly became less sweet, because every gram removed was money saved. Researchers also found that households bought fewer sugary drinks than before. Why does this matter? Because diabetes is now one of the biggest killers of South African women. A tax that removes sugar before the bottle is even opened does its work quietly. It does not ask anyone to be strong in front of a fridge. Still, I have one complaint: the rate has hardly moved since 2019, while prices have risen around it, so every silent year makes the tax smaller. Health talks in posters; money talks in grams. The gram is the honest unit. Count it.