The Marcos administration plans to impose new taxes on junk food and sweetened beverages to promote a healthier lifestyle and reduce the incidence of diet-related diseases, the Department of Finance (DOF) said. Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said the proposed junk food and sweetened beverage tax aims to encourage healthier food choices amongst Filipinos, while also generating additional revenue to support the government's socio-economic programs. “The DOF and the Department of Health (DOH) are jointly pursuing a junk food and sweetened beverage tax as a proactive measure to tackle diabetes, obesity, and non-communicable diseases related to poor diet,” Diokno told reporters on Wednesday, June 21. Under the joint DOF and DOH proposal, the government seeks to impose a P10 per 100 grams or P10 per 100 milliliters tax on pre-packaged foods that are deemed to lack nutritional value. These include confectioneries, snacks, desserts, and frozen confectioneries that exceed the Department of Health's (DOH) specified thresholds for fat, salt, and sugar content. In an effort to further strengthen the effectiveness of the existing sweetened beverage tax, the DOF also proposed to increase the tax rate to P12 per liter, regardless of the type of sweetener used. According to the DOF, this increase, along with an annual indexation of four percent and removal of exemptions, is expected to broaden the tax base and encourage Filipinos to opt for healthier beverage alternatives. "These measures aim to strengthen the effectiveness of the sweetened beverage tax by further discouraging the consumption of such beverages,” Diokno said. The proposed implementation of the junk food and sweetened beverage tax package is expected by the DOF to yield additional P76 billion in revenues during the first year. Moreover, the DOF said this levy would result in a 21 percent reduction in the consumption of junk food, a major contributor to diet-related diseases. “The incremental revenues from this tax package will fund important socio-economic programs initiated by the Marcos administration, such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development's food stamp program,” Diokno said. “This program will provide support to one million food-poor households, to alleviate food insecurity and malnutrition,” he added.