Government is being advised that there are certain implications to imposing the proposed National Social Responsibility Levy that should be given consideration as they look to bring that it into effect.
The suggestion is coming from President of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP), Dr. P. Abdon DaSilva.
In an interview with The Barbados Advocate, he noted that the levy will eventually increase what consumers will pay for food items, and recommended that Government contemplate not imposing the tax on healthier food options, to help ensure that the eating habits of Barbadians do not further deteriorate.
“The cost of imported food is going to go up, so what happens to the people who have diabetes and hypertension and all these non-communicable diseases that they are talking about? People may be forced to buy the cheapest food which may not necessarily be the healthiest food, and so you may very well find that you are spending more money managing the non-communicable diseases because people are now having unhealthier eating habits,” he said.
Contending that this shift in eating habits “is a real possibility”, and pointing out that persons are already inclined to buy the cheaper unhealthy food anyway, the medical doctor said it would be in the best interest of the country for the Government to remove some of the taxes on the healthier foods on the market. He said bringing those taxes down would put the cost of the items within reach of the average consumer.
“The fact is if you go to the supermarket right now, it costs a lot more money to buy a cereal that has less sugar in it, and a soup that has less salt in it than one that is laced with sugar and salt. So maybe those are things they need to look at - having a select group of healthier foods on which they either reduce the taxes or exempt them from this two percent that has been proposed,” he stated.
Another area of concern for the BAMP President is the impact that the levy could have on his membership, particularly those in private practice and by their extension patients. Minister Sinckler said last week that the levy would be applied to the customs value of all imports at the border, but not goods for the manufacturing, agriculture and tourism sectors as covered under existing primary legislation, but Dr. DaSilva notes that a two per cent tax on imported goods includes medicine and medical equipment.
He further cautioned that the implications do not stop there.
“As an extension of being imposed a tax, the question arises as to whether people will not now perceive it as an entitlement and go and put extra burden on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and polyclinics, rather than go to their private physicians. After all they may see it as they paid for a service and they want to get something out of it,” he said. (JRT)
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