Finance officials have yet to meet with health officials regarding the plan to slap additional taxes on salty food products.

“(We) have to discuss thoroughly with them,” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III told journalists in a text message.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier attributed the plan to increase tax on salty foods to the decision to tax sugar-sweetened drinks to curb consumption and lessen sugar-related health issues.

United Nations Interagency Task Force (UNIATF) data show that high intake of salty foods is among the reasons for the increase of non-communicable diseases like cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

In the Philippines, non-communicable diseases account for 68 percent of deaths.

UNIATF data reveal the average salt intake of Filipinos is about two times more than the two grams of sodium per day or about 5 grams recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The current administration has successfully pushed for slapping a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages and the increase of taxes on sin products to address the rising cases of poor Filipinos and the youth who got sick because of the consumption of these products. (PNA)