NEVA MAKGETLA: Tariff surge on basic foods intensifies inequalities
They can have benefits but tariffs can also have a negative effect on low-income households
25 July 2023 - 05:00
In 2020, five staple foods — chicken, wheat, beef, cooking oil and sugar — faced tariffs ranging from more than 50% for poultry and sugar to 10% for cooking oil.
These products account for two fifths of all food expenditure by the poorest 60% of households, but only about one fifth for the richest 10%. Tariffs are sometimes useful to promote industrialisation and job creation, but it should be harder to impose them on basic necessities...
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