If you’re addicted to the sweet stuff, by next year you will be paying more to get your fix. This announcement was made on Wednesday when finance Minister Pravin Gordhan announced that a sugar tax will be levied with effect from 1 April 2017.

South Africans with a sweet tooth will be punished with a higher tax on sweet stuff. But why? Reports Fin24:

A sugar tax has been mooted by a growing number of consumer bodies and health experts who have been calling for a tax on sweetened sugar beverages (SSBs) to help curb the tide of obesity in SA, which is the foremost cause of obesity in Sub-saharan Africa.

Consuming large amounts of sugar puts people at high risk for lifestyle diseases like diabetes, stroke and obesity.

A suggested 20% tax on SSBs could possibly reduce obesity in 220 000 adults.

SSBs are: still and carbonated soft drinks, fruit juices, sports drinks, energy drinks and vitamin waters, sweetened ice tea, lemonade, cordials and squashes.

If you’re still unsure what exactly it is that is wrong with sugar, here’s a snippet from a while back, where Health Renewal gave us the lowdown on sugar consumption:

High levels of sugar binds to the protein found in the collagen of your skin & body, a bond which causes the enzyme to be less functional. A lot of toxin build-up can lead to an increase of inflammation in the area. This process is called glycation, and results in voluminous collagen to becomes more compressed and reduce the youthfulness of the skin. (thus presenting a more “aged” and haggard look).
The component that this process makes are AGES (Advanced Glycation End Products), that can even lead to damaging the DNA of your cells, leading to long term chronic illnesses & cancers. This is not restricted to your skin, the dangers of AGES affects the entire body and can lead to decreased brain workings resulting in strokes and Alzheimer’s disease. The highest levels of AGES are prevalent in diabetes patients, which again highlights the dangerous connection between sugar and damage caused in the body.

[source: fin24]