MANILA -- A lawmaker on Tuesday said he is wary about taxing food items after the Department of Finance (DOF) suggested imposing taxes on junk food and sweetened beverages to tackle diseases related to poor diet, such as diabetes and obesity.

• DOF, DOH eye higher sin tax rates on junk food

On ANC's "Headstart," Albay Representative and House Committee on Ways and Means Chairperson Joey Salceda said there is no sufficient data to support the proposal to impose more taxes on processed food.

"There is a study by the (Food and Nutrition Research Institute) which says that around 69 percent of the salt in any food is added from sauce, is added from Mang Tomas, or something na... It’s not in the processed foods. So why would you tax the processed food if it contains only 30 percent of your enemy?" he said.

"And number 2, the so-called direct link between this overconsumption due to salted food that gives rise to our obesity rates. There are numbers at 6 percent, although the World Bank keeps harping on the 36%, but if you keep looking at the FNRI, it’s not there."

Salceda also noted that there seems to be no fundamental linkage between obesity and overconsumption of salted food.

"I’m very wary about taxing food, kasi, it’s more likely to be regressive. And although there’s a health objective attached to it, but that’s why kailangan pag-aralan nang maigi, kasi yung obesity mo, hindi naman tayo--mas mataas po ang problema natin sa malnutirition kaysa obesity," he added.

A professor has also questioned government's move to tax junk food, saying it is anti-poor.

• Chichirya, ulam na: Taxing junk food anti-poor, says prof

--ANC, 4 July 2023