President throws weight behind processed food tax

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has forwarded a petition from the Pakistan National Heart Association (Panah) seeking increased taxation on ultra-processed food to the country’s finance and revenue authorities, the organisation said on Tuesday.

According to Panah, the President’s Secretariat formally sent the petition, submitted by its president Dr Masoodur Rehman Kiani, to the finance secretary and the chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for action.

The petition calls on the government to impose higher taxes on ultra-processed foods and beverages as part of wider efforts to tackle the rising burden of non-communicable diseases in Pakistan.

Dr Kiani welcomed the development and said the president’s response was encouraging for public health advocacy. He also urged the relevant authorities to move quickly on the proposal.