Project Rethink – Excise Tax for Coca-Cola
Project Scope
The Federal government in 2021 introduced a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) tax- a levy of N10 per litre on all non-alcoholic, carbonated, and sweetened beverages. In addition, the government in May 2023 introduced a 10 per cent green tax on single-use plastics (although the law is now suspended).
Since then, a lot of issues have arisen – from cost of doing business to the management of inflation; manufacturers have continued to complain about the levies increasing the cost of their operations.
Objectives
- Inform the public about the new Excise Tax propositions, including its potential impact on consumers, businesses, and the economy.
- Emphasise concerns about the effectiveness of regressive tax in actually reducing sugar consumption or the use of plastics and how it potentially impacts low-income earners disproportionately
- Use credible third parties to present data challenging the effectiveness of these tax propositions.
Our Approach
FIRST STEP
- Used a strong Advocacy Group to headline a counternarrative to the excise tax arguments.
SECOND STEP
- Created a data-driven proposition to side-step claims of Nigeria being the 4th largest market for Sugar Sweetened Beverages.
- Punctured holes in the health arguments – from Obesity, to Diabetes availing possible lifestyle changes that have arisen and showing that our staples are already heavy on Sugar.
- Leverage NCIC to drive the “Beyond Green Taxes” campaign across traditional and digital platforms
THIRD STEP:
- Strategically lead conversations – ensuring bold headlines and prime-positioning for our counter-narratives.
Result
- Massive editorial and opinionpieces published and aired in key print and local broadcast media about the economic implication of the current tax regime and propositions.
- Leveraging opinion leaders and social media influencers to trend blog stories and conversations on their platforms drove the social media conversation to over 300+ mentions.
Outcome
- The Federal Government halted the proposed increment of an extra N10/litre for sugar tax.
- The Federal Government suspended the implementation of the Green Tax, two months after commencement.