A handful of Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) members descended on the national finance department in Pretoria to demand that plans to introduce a sugar tax be scrapped.

In July‚ the department published its policy paper on a proposed taxation of sugar sweetened beverages.

In a bid to reduce consumption of sweet drinks‚ which it argues cause obesity and other health problems in the population‚ the document proposed a 20% tax on the beverages.

“Literature suggests that a 20% price increase of sugar sweetened beverages may be required to have a significant impact on purchases‚ consumption‚ and ultimately on obesity and population health‚” the document said.

But the Fawu marchers maintained a sugar tax will cause a “jobs bloodbath” in the sugar value-chain industries.

They said between 5‚000 and 6‚000 jobs would be lost.

Statistics South Africa announced last week that the unemployment rate in the country is now above 27%.

“One job loss is one too many in this country … it’s unacceptable that we create more unemployment‚” Katishi Masemola‚ Fawu’s general secretary‚ said.

Interestingly‚ the department’s own policy document recognised job losses as one of the risks

“Some of the challenges that have faced the imposition of a tax on sugar products include administrative considerations‚ job losses‚ product substitution by consumers and tax evasion because of classification anomalies‚” it said.

Fawu maintained it supported efforts to ensure South Africans ate healthy food‚ but not sugar tax. “We support a healthy nation‚ not job losses‚” said its placards.

In its memorandum of demands‚ the union demanded a national stakeholder summit to discuss sugar and fat‚ health and jobs.

 TMG Digital/Sowetan