GST free vege plan not enough, says expert

A Tauranga nutritionist supports a plan to make fruit and vegetables GST-free but says it doesn't go far enough.
Labour leader Phil Goff confirmed yesterday his party will remove GST from fresh fruit and vegetables if elected.
Mr Goff said it was important to ensure fruit and vegetables did not become luxury items due to their cost and that price incentives would encourage people to eat healthy food and help tackle obesity.
Papamoa nutritionist Rachel Scrivin, a New Zealand registered dietitian, believed the scheme would encourage people "to not have any excuses" for not buying fruit and vegetables.
"When I see clients, the first thing a lot of them say is [fruit and vegetables] are expensive.
"It's a good incentive - it's a little step towards the bigger picture."
Mrs Scrivin, whose business is FoodFX, suggested a higher tax on junk foods.
"Maybe they need to tax those foods, like Coke and potato chips, a bit more. It's a shame these things are often very cheap. Good foods are often seen as a luxury."
But Mrs Scrivin said education was an important part of the healthy eating message. "We need to keep pushing the message in schools of the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, and the long term benefits of reduced health costs."
She also wanted to see more people growing their own vegetables, which provided healthy food at a very low cost.
"We have to educate around sustainable living."
Tauranga nutritionist Fiona Boyle of Food Solutions also supported the policy.
"Anything where healthy foods are reduced in price is great. The question is, would it change people's shopping habits? Hopefully it would."
Ms Boyle, a New Zealand registered dietician, said she would also like to see GST scrapped on milk.
Labour's new policy is part of a campaign against the Government's tax package, which takes effect on Friday and includes lifting GST from 12.5 per cent to 15 per cent. Labour estimated the loss of tax revenue at around $250 million.
"But given the cost to the health system of obesity-related diseases, the fiscal cost will be repaid many times over in savings to the health system. The tobacco excise increase raises about the same amount," Mr Goff said.
The announcement was the party's first new policy to address cost-of-living issues for low and middle income earners.
National has dismissed the idea of taking GST off food, with Prime Minister John Key saying GST worked because it was a simple system.