Starting November 1, the price of mecato products will experience an increase due to the implementation of the healthy taxes approved in the 2022 tax reform.
Regardless of consumer preferences, snack foods will become more expensive. Products like sausages, potato chips, cookies and even cakes will see their prices increase depending on the amount of sugar and sodium they contain.
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This increase will be applied gradually, with a 10% increase for the remainder of 2023, followed by 15% in 2024 and 20% in 2025.
For example, a package of seven sausages, which currently sells for $10,300 in one of the country’s main chains, will cost $11,330 at the end of 2023, $11,845 next year and $12,360 in 2025.
12-unit chocolate cookies will also be affected by this tax measure. Its price will rise from the current $12,600 to $15,120 in 2025. This same increase will be applied to products such as wafers and chocolate cakes, which will cost $4,059 and $2,673 respectively next year, 2024.
Ice cream will also see an increase in prices. For example, a 600 ml container of vanilla ice cream will go from costing $29,900 in 2023 to just over $35,880 in 2025.
Not only products for the mecato will be affected; Some beverages and daily use products will also experience price increases.
In the case of drinks, the tax will be based on the amount of added sugar per 100 milliliters of content. For example, a drink with more than 6 grams of sugar but less than 10 grams will be taxed at $18 in 2023, $28 in 2024, and $38 in 2025.
To illustrate, a 355 ml energy drink with 10.7 grams of sugar currently costing $8,700 will increase to $8,931 in 2025.
In addition, products such as jams will also see their prices increase.
Joseph Dacarett, manager of Frigorífico de la Costa, a food manufacturing company, explained that the tax will be transferred from the manufacturer to the marketer and, finally, to the customer. This will affect stores if chains assume a portion of the tax.
Sara Valbuena, legal director of Ventus Consultores, stated that, although the final consumer is not the target of the price increase, they could be affected by up to 3%.
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The measure to increase prices has been criticized by the opposition and by industrialists, who argue that long-term macroeconomic conditions will not be positive, since inflation, although it has decreased, is still above 10%. According to the Government’s initial calculations, this tax is expected to generate revenue of up to $3 trillion by 2025, the year in which the new tax will peak.