In case you really missed it, the Philippine government has implemented the first phase of the controversial tax reform, which is different that the other controversial one in America that was favored by the fat man who controls the human race, and while the sharp rise of consumer prices are something to worry about, what's even worrying to me is that one clause in this tax reform is the taxation of sugar sweetened beverages. In other words, your fizzy drinks that you commonly bought from your neighborhood sari-sari store is not safe from that menace. So, why does this part grinds my gears?
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Ever since everybody in the world warned us not to drink too much beer because of the devastating events apart from turning every husband into a maniac who's going to kill his family without knowing, we find a better alternative way to stave off from a bottle of beer because of the crazy effects our body and mind are getting and that's where the softdrink come from. Sure, they can be as fizzy as a beer but unlike alcohol, it doesn't leave our mouths smell like beer and won't end up like family beaters but on the downside, all that sugary content will end up going wild until at the end of the day, we all end up with slight hangovers.
Like you and I, we love having a bottle of softdrinks in our refrigerator because the drinks section can be so bland without it. Softdrinks change the world according to us. They are our quenchers in lunchtime and tea (dinner), our means of entertaining our friends, our relaxation, whatever our reason, we all bound by our decision to stock ourselves with softdrinks at home because they're much safer to drink than alcoholic beer.
At the dawn of the new year, looks like the softdrink days are now numbered because of the dreaded tax against sugar sweetened beverages. According to the Department of Finance's Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, they will tax six pesos per liter of drinks containing caloric or non-caloric sweetener and 12 pesos per liter on drinks containing high fructose corn syrup. Sweetened juice drinks like Zest-O or Hi-C, sweetened tea like Nestea, flavored water, energy drinks, sports drinks, non-milk powdered drinks, cereal and grain beverages, and other non-alcoholic beverages that contain added sugar. 3-in-1 coffee, milk, and 100% natural juice are exempted from the rule.
As you may wondering, do diet and zero sugar softdrinks do count on this beverage tax? The answer is a major yes because those so-called diet and zero sugar softdrinks like the ones we drink sometimes have been sweetened by non-caloric sweeteners, thus making them victims of this rule. Looks like no one's safe on this rule, unless you want to drink yourself a glass of water, which is bland but obvious.
It's not just the Philippines that falls victim to the tax against sugary beverages, in fact, some parts of the world did. From where I'm standing, they've imposed a sweetened beverage tax which most of the sugary drinks are subject to a tax of $1.75 per ounce. Which means, a 12-pack of canned soda like the ones they sold at your nearest Safeway will now cost $2.52 while a box of 10 juice-drink pouches will cost $1.75, 6-pack of sport drink $2.10, a 16oz fountain drink 28 cents, and 23oz can of sweetened tea 40 cents. Thank you Seattle for such dreaded tax on our favorite beverages.
Taxing sugary drinks is nothing new in this world. In fact, the main reason why they want to slap some tax on such drinks because of health and safety reasons and while some oppose because it's anti-poor, some health-conscious people lauded it because such drinks are linked not just obesity but also type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and dental decay. Come on, we only drink them moderately like beer, you know, and still drive our car back home without getting caught by authorities and doing the breathalyzer thing.
Now that softdrinks are getting more costly than it were back in the good old days, seems like we can't afford to put fizzy drinks in our glasses anymore. What happens next? Put sofdrinks in the sin tax bill? That's crazy and if that to happen, we couldn't afford to drink them anymore and that makes us dull.
Softdrinks are a way to chill ourselves on a hot day, to entertain our guests, and relax, but by making them more expensive, our wallets are running dry and thanks to such tax reforms that favor only the rich people, I can't say what's what but it really made us grind our gears and ending up with alternatives such as 100% natural juice, which is rare to find in today's markets, plain milk, and a glass of water. Can't believe we start the year with a much blander lifestyle because of high consumer prices thanks to tax reforms that are deemed regressive and unless we get ourselves a job, there's no way we can live in such times like these. Here's hoping that we can all learn something from such a purpose.
See you next time and if you got some cash, better stock up on some drinks while you can.
