TimesLive reports that the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) has declared war on the Treasury, demanding the scrapping of the proposal for a sugar tax.
Union members on Monday marched on the Treasury's offices in Pretoria demanding a stakeholder summit at which health policies would be discussed before the tax on sugared beverages becomes law. Fawu general secretary Katishi Masemola said the Treasury's own research indicated that the tax could lead to 6,000 job losses in the beverages industry (which a Treasury spokesperson denied). He added that there was no guarantee that the tax would help solve the country's health problems, but it was certain to add to already high unemployment. The union's president, Artwell Mazo, said yesterday's march was just the beginning in a build-up to bigger marches that will be held in major cities prior to the finance minister's budget speech next year.
- Read this report by Sipho Mabena in full at TimesLive
- See too, Fawu gives Treasury until next month to respond to call against sugar tax, at EWN
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