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Sugary Drinks Consumption Drops as Taxes Rose

Poor households are the most affected

In Mexico the sugary drinks consumption drops as taxes rose. Since 2014 Mexico is the only country in the world which taxes the sugary drinks in an attempt to curb consumption which, according to specialists, leads to obesity, diabetes and associated diseases.

A tax of 1 peso (about 6 cents) per liter has been imposed starting January 1, 2014. That is an increase of about 10 percent of the price before the new tax. A report published yesterday in the British Medical Journal analyzed the data from the last two years and found out that the sales of sugary drinks decreased by 6 percent at national level.

The decline peaked in December 2014, reaching 12 percent. Correlated with the fact that the consumption dropped the most among poor households, this might mean that during a period of high expenses related to the holidays more poor people did not afford to purchase juice for the Christmas table.

However, health economist at the Mexican Public Health Institute, Aranxta Colchero, the lead author of the study, still believes that it is a good example as the tax has proved to be working so it could also be implemented in other countries.

The study has been a joint effort of researchers from the Mexican Public Health Institute in collaboration with the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina. Researchers have analyzed data gathered by the Consumer Panel Services of Mexico on purchases of food and drinks by over 6,200 households in 53 medium and large cities of Mexico between Jan. 2012 and Dec. 2014.

The results show a decrease of consumption with 6 percent national average compared with estimations of consumptions without the tax. At the same time the purchases of untaxed beverages, like bottled water increased with an average of 4 percent.

Researchers discovered that the most affected by the tax have been the poor households which bought an average of 9 percent less sugary drinks in 2014 and about 17 percent less during December 2014. However it is important to keep in mind that the research analyzed consumption in medium and large cities while in rural areas it might have decreased even more.

Mexican authorities are planning to increase the tax to 2 pesos – so a price increase of about 20 percent, which they say it would make the consumption drop even more. But before this new raise, Colchero claims that the authorities should make sure that potable tap water is available across the country.

Image source: pixabay

Mexican Wrestler Dies In The Ring; Match Continues

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Mexican professional wrestler Pedro Aguayo Ramirez collapsed on the ropes of the ring, while the match continued for two minutes, before medics released he was seriously injured.

Ramirez, the son of a wrestling legend in Mexico, died on Saturday, after he received a blow in the ring. According to the Baja California state prosecutor’s office, Pedro Aguayo Ramirez, known as Hijo del Perro Aguayo, lost his consciousness after he received a kick from Oscar Gutierrez, another wrestler known as Rey Mysterio Jr.. The match took place in the municipal auditorium in Tijuana.

The match went on for almost two minutes before the wrestlers and the referee realized Aguayo was gravely injured. He was taken immediately to the hospital, but died a few hours later, said prosecutor’s spokesman Raul Gutierrez.

According to the state prosecutor’s office, the cause of death was trauma to the neck and a cervical fracture. After the autopsy, the authorities have opened an investigation into possible manslaughter.

The Crash, the company that organised the event, couldn’t be reached for comment. The Tijuana Boxing and Wrestling Commission decried the death as an unfortunate accident, a sad consequence high-risk sports.

The match continued as Pedro Aguayo hung motionless on the ropes, commission President Juan Carlos Pelayo explained that people checked his condition immediately, adding that the doctor in charge was not at ringside, as he was offering treatment to another injured wrestler. Paramedics and a doctor who was a spectator offered medical support to Aguayo.

“The reaction for medical attention was quick,” Pelayo said in a press conference Saturday.

Mexico’s professional wrestling scene is known for its colorful costumes and characters. Wrestling is called lucha libre, amd fighters perform spectacular aerial maneuvers both inside and outside the ring.

Aguayo was 35 years-old. He dhd wrestled for 20 years and was the son of the legendary Pedro “Perro” Aguayo. His father is now retired and a member of the Hall of Fame of Aztec lucha.

Aguayo Jr. led a popular group called “Los Perros de Mal” – the bad dogs. He won the national pairs title with his father, and also a national heavyweight championship.

“I think the fans in Mexico, the United States and Japan must be in mourning, especially because of his youth. It makes me very sad,” the wrestler Hijo del Santo said.

Image Source: El Debate

Mexico’s Corruption: Mayor Linked to Students Kidnapping

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The mayor of a Mexican town where 43 students went missing last month is now said to be the possible “mastermind” behind the kidnapping, as well as his wife, this according to the Attorney General Jesus Murillo.

Protests erupted in the town of Iguala regarding the September 26 disappearance while at the same time, arrest warrants were being issued for Mayor Jose Luis Abarca and his wife, Maria de los Angeles Pineda. However, after requesting a leave from his post, the couple has not been seen.

Officials believe the students’ kidnapping was orchestrated by corrupt Mexican police and fierce drug cartel, led by Guerreros Unidos who has since been arrested. The mayor and his wife are the highest-ranking couple in the state, with suspicions mounting toward Police Chief Felipe Flores Velasquez.

In a message to police, Sidronion Caseportarrubias, gang chief, said the mayor and his wife were complicit with the goal of keeping the kidnapped students hidden, something relatively easy to do considering there is alleged police involvement.

Initially, the incident in September involved student teachers from the local Ayotzinapa teacher’s college who clashed with police during a protest, which led to a least six people being killed. Several other people from that incident were arrested and supposedly handed over to Unidos who mistook them for a rival gang.

Protests, followed by chaos, has now spread to a number of other cities and sent shock waves through all of Mexico, a country already struggling with one of the highest kidnapping and murder rates in the entire world.

In a fevered protest over not being provided information about the students’ disappearance, hundreds of Chilpancingo residents caused damage to the state capital building on October 14. Then to show support for and hopefully bring the missing students back alive, thousands of people marched into the capital Mexico City on October 22.

In the meantime, Mexican police have an ongoing investigation into nine mass graves where 30 bodies were discovered earlier. However, upon examination, none of those bodies belong to the 43 missing students. As far as the 43 missing students, none have been seen since being taken in September.

Citi Consumer Chief Plans to Leave as Scandal Breaks

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Citigroup’s Mexican unit, Banamex, is once again embroiled in another scandal and in its midst, Manuel Medina-Mora, head of consumer banking but also chairman of Banamex, plans to step down. In a separate decision, Banamex businesses in 11 countries to include Japan, El Salvador, and Egypt are shutting down.

According to reports, employees of Mexico’s Citigroup are suspected of pocketing millions of dollars from vendors in the form of kickbacks. To disguise the fraud, bank executives’ bodyguards purchased audio recordings of personal phone calls and created mock companies.

Although Medina-Mora survived the $400 million accounting fraud at Banamex a few months ago, this new scandal may prove to be too much. Apparently, support for Medina-Mora to stay is coming from chairman Michael O’Neill and chief executive Michael Corbat but other board members are pressuring him to leave.

For someone with a desire to expand well beyond Mexico, Medina-Mora’s departure being connected to the Banamex debacle might be difficult to handle.

In the meantime, Citigroup’s impending exits from certain international markets might reveal the company’s focus on maintaining a stronghold in Asia, which is now being hailed as the “crown jewel”.

For third-quarter earnings session, Citigroup may have a continued squeeze on profits coming from low interest rates but there is ongoing progress in both lending and trading businesses. However, some analysts remain unimpressed with the return on equity.

Highlighted are the hefty sums put aside by Citigroup for legal costs as it and other banks get ready for possible settlements with authorities in the US and UK, this over allegedly rigging benchmark interest rates.

Another big concern is cyber-security. While this has not impacted Citigroup as yet, it did create a huge problem for JPMorgan recently when the company was hit by a data breach. As a result, personal information for more than 76 million households along with 7 million businesses was compromised.

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