Romanian Health Ministry Mulls Introducing Fast Food Tax

"We plan to introduce a new tax on fast food, sweets, fizzy drinks, to support national health programs," Health Minister Attila Cseke told a news conference Tuesday.

He said he has asked the Ministry's health commission to issue a stand on this proposal. The minister said he will hold talks with fast food producers and distributors about the manner in which the tax will be collected.

The minister gave no information about how much this tax could bring in to the budget. According to him, the draft Government Decision implementing the tax has been put up for public debate on the Ministry's website.

"Similar to the sin tax, the new tax will be a percentage of the sale of fast food products and the revenue will be used to increase the budgets of health programs and fund investments into the system's infrastructure. I have asked the Ministry's nutrition experts to work out the way we will apply the concept. We will meet with producers and those targeted by the measure," the minister said.

Minister Cseke said in 2010 there will be difficulties in sustaining health programs, infrastructure and medical equipment investments and in providing the necessary medicine and sanitary materials in emergency units and blood transfusion units.

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