Africa’s Drinking Problem: Alcoholism on the Rise as Beverage Multinationals Circle Read more: http://world.time.com/2013/08/09/africas-drinking-problem-alcoholism-on-the-rise-as-beverage-multinationals-circle/#ixzz2biqHwY00

One of the things Sinkele finds most astonishing is that multinational companies are getting tax-breaks for selling beer to people on the breadline. While governments in the West are considering minimum pricing standards for alcohol, in nearly a dozen countries across Africa, amidst soaring food prices, governments are applying tax-breaks to booze, which, according to the World Health Organization, kills more people than AIDS or tuberculosis. ”It’s better assisted suicide,” Sinkele says.

In Kenya, multi-national beverage company Diageo’s second-best selling beer, Senator Keg, is served in 300 ml servings for 25 shillings (around 30 cents). The company, which reportedly controls a staggering 97% of the beer market, until June enjoyed a 100% tax exemption on Senator to keep it cheap. “This gave consumers a safer alternative to unregulated and bad quality brews which often lead to fatalities,” Diageo’s Group Corporate Relations Director Brenda Mbathi says. Sinkele says the new Government realized the tax break was nonsensical, which is why they rescinded it.

Read more: http://world.time.com/2013/08/09/africas-drinking-problem-alcoholism-on-the-rise-as-beverage-multinationals-circle/#ixzz2biqOf9Us