We know that our country has a serious problem with obesity, particularly among children. We know that there are some well-established causes, such as the high consumption of junk food and soft drinks and the relentless advertising of these products to children and teenagers. We also have to acknowledge that there is an undeniable and direct link between smoking and cancer – one of the biggest killers in the region.
Our health problems need solutions and one such fix is taxation. Excise taxes will be introduced this year at a rate of 100 per cent for tobacco and energy drinks and 50 per cent for sugary fizzy drinks.
We asked 3,316 TaskSpotting users for their opinions on this issue. TaskSpotting describes itself as the region’s only advocate marketing platform and pitches our questions to its app community who typically engage with brands to create content and share feedback.
So what did they say? Few of our data pool smoke, although most are partial to an energy drink. A majority also support a so-called "sin" tax on sugary drinks and cigarettes. This rather suggests we know the cure to our ills and are prepared to take our medicine – no matter how expensive that treatment is.
