The man behind Europe's first 'fat tax' has told The Grocer the proposal has widespread support and will "easily" pass into law.
The proposed tax on foods with high fat, salt and sugar in Hungary is to go before parliament in the next few weeks with the law set to come into force by 1 September.
A tax of HUF 10 (3p) will be levied on products containing "too much" salt, sugar or fat, and the sales tax on spirits and soft drinks will rise 10%.
The proceeds are earmarked to go towards rebalancing the country's £329m healthcare deficit.
"Hungarians' salaries are not high, so people must choose healthy alternatives or the tax revenue will be high," said the Bill's author Gabor Csiba, president of the Strategic Alliance for Hungarian Hospitals.
"It will be proposed to parliament this summer and will, in all likelihood, pass easily," said Csiba, who also serves as a local councillor for Fidesz, the majority party that has controlled two-thirds of parliament since its election victory in April last year.
Other supporters of the tax also expected the Bill to be waved through. "The Fidesz government is very forceful and can decide more or less what goes through parliament," said Andras Nagy, chairman of the Hungarian Heart Association. "The intention of the food industry is to make it more complicated than it is. If you go to a food store you can decide what is healthy."
The tax has the backing of 54% of the population, according to a poll published this week by the Nezopont Institute, a think tank close to Fidesz.
The proposed tax on foods with high fat, salt and sugar in Hungary is to go before parliament in the next few weeks with the law set to come into force by 1 September.
A tax of HUF 10 (3p) will be levied on products containing "too much" salt, sugar or fat, and the sales tax on spirits and soft drinks will rise 10%.
The proceeds are earmarked to go towards rebalancing the country's £329m healthcare deficit.
"Hungarians' salaries are not high, so people must choose healthy alternatives or the tax revenue will be high," said the Bill's author Gabor Csiba, president of the Strategic Alliance for Hungarian Hospitals.
"It will be proposed to parliament this summer and will, in all likelihood, pass easily," said Csiba, who also serves as a local councillor for Fidesz, the majority party that has controlled two-thirds of parliament since its election victory in April last year.
Other supporters of the tax also expected the Bill to be waved through. "The Fidesz government is very forceful and can decide more or less what goes through parliament," said Andras Nagy, chairman of the Hungarian Heart Association. "The intention of the food industry is to make it more complicated than it is. If you go to a food store you can decide what is healthy."
The tax has the backing of 54% of the population, according to a poll published this week by the Nezopont Institute, a think tank close to Fidesz.
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