MANILA, Philippines — Experts, lawmakers, and youth leaders urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to prioritize the health of the youth by increasing the sin taxes on unhealthy foods and cigarettes, in line with his upcoming State of the Nation Address.
Speaking at a press conference organized by the Youth for Health in Quezon City on Thursday, Professor Cielo Magno called on Marcos to raise the sin taxes to fund the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and provide safety mechanisms to deter them from accessing such products.
"We already have sin taxes in place, but I think our government also needs to realize that when the incidence of smoking and alcohol consumption rises, it means the current tax rates are no longer effective; this means they need to be adjusted,” said Magno in Filipino.
Magno said that the initial impact of the sin taxes has diminished due to the increasing use of tobacco and alcohol, as well as the rising inflation.
