Pacific

Wallis and Futuna shops absorb sugar tax hike

15:13 pm on 5 August 2017

Reports from Wallis and Futuna say shops have absorbed tax hikes for sugary drinks.

In June the territorial assembly increased taxes on alcohol, tobacco and sweetened beverages in the hope of encouraging healthier lifestyles to counter soaring rates of non-communicable diseases.

The public broadcaster says the tax increase came into force this week and added ten percent of the costs to alcohol and tobacco.

At the same time, the tax on bottled water was lowered but shops reportedly kept the price unchanged just as they did for sugary beverages.

According to World Health Organisation figures, about 70 percent of people in Wallis and Futuna are overweight.