The government collected RM73.81 million in SSB excise duty from January to November 2025, with funds allocated to health programmes and diabetes medication.
KUALA LUMPUR: The government collected RM73.81 million in excise duty on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) from January to November 2025, bringing total SSB excise revenue to RM521.35 million to date, according to the Ministry of Finance (MoF).
In a reply published on the Dewan Rakyat portal today, the MoF said all proceeds had been channelled into the Federal Consolidated Fund, in accordance with Article 97 of the Federal Constitution.
“The excise duty on SSB took effect on July 1, 2019, at a rate of 40 sen per litre based on the prescribed sugar-content threshold. It was later increased to 50 sen per litre on Jan 1, 2024, and most recently to 90 sen per litre starting Jan 1, 2025.
“This increase is part of the government’s efforts to reduce the consumption of high-sugar beverages among Malaysians and to support the Ministry of Health’s ‘War on Sugar’ campaign,” said MoF.
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The response was issued to Suhaizan Kaiat (PH-Pulai), who had inquired about the total SSB tax collected and the extent to which the revenue had been channelled towards diabetes medication supply and the sustainability of the peritoneal dialysis programme.
The MoF said that the government had allocated RM25 million from SSB excise collections to the Health Ministry to support the War on Sugar advocacy programme, the procurement of SGLT2 medicines, and the provision of peritoneal dialysis facilities for end-stage kidney disease.
These are in line with the government’s commitments under Budget 2025, said the MoF. – Bernama
