Calls have been made for more extreme measures to be implemented on sugar-sweetened beverages and other sugary products that have an adverse impact on people’s health.

This follows the revelation made by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Eddie McCaig during the 2023 National Economic Summit that 15.8 percent of Fiji’s population has diabetes.

One of the recommendations being made for several years now is increasing taxes on sugary items, as it is thought to have positive effects on both the economy and public health.

According to Fiscal Review Committee Chair Richard Naidu, they are looking at it as an easy hit.

“I think there is wide consensus that we have to take measures that reduce consumption, and if they raise revenue, then that’s a bonus. So yes, we are still putting together and thinking of what and how much and all of the ideas are preliminary.”

Overconsumption of sugar, sweets, and drinks can be linked directly to crippling levels of non-communicable disease.

Therefore, academic Ganesh Chand says that in order to reduce consumption of such products and help improve the health of Fijians, extreme actions need to be taken.

“Even if the prices go high, once the kids are addicted to them, they will ask their parents to buy them. You go to the supermarket and see who is buying all these products. Now the solution has to be an extreme solution.”

Increasing taxes, according to orthopedic surgeon Dr. Eddie McCaig, may have an effect on consumption, but it’s unclear how long that effect will last.

“If you were to cut the VAT on sugary items, whether they’re drinks or high-carbohydrate foods, it’s going to have that initial effect where people will say it costs too much, but it will go back. I don’t know about its effect, I think it will have an effect, but I don’t know for how long.”

In the mid-year budget of June 23, 2016, Fiji raised the excise duty on locally produced sweetened beverages from 10 cents per litre to 30 cents per litre however, in August 2017, the excise duty was further raised to 35 cents per litre.