Indonesian govt faces call to tax sweet drinks in bid to curb diabetes

Sweet and sugary drinks often accompany breaking-of-the-fast snacks during the Islamic month of Ramadan. The Indonesian government faces growing pressure to impose a tax on sugary drinks due to increased prevalence of diabetes. - Jakarta Post/ANN

JAKARTA, April 10 (Jakarta Post/ANN): A Jakarta-based public health think tank is making an urgent appeal for the government to impose excise taxes on all packaged sugary beverages flooding the market, on account of the increasing prevalence of diabetes and swelling healthcare spending for obesity-related diseases.

Practical solutions are sought as Indonesia tries to recover from a devastating Covid-19 pandemic that has exposed cracks in its healthcare system, as well as the lack of attention to serious illnesses such as Type 2 diabetes.