Excise hikes in N$104 billion budget raise food security concerns

[PODCAST]

Finance minister Ericah Shafudah has tabled a N$104 billion 2026/27 national budget, projecting N$89.8 billion in revenue and about N$15 billion in borrowing. This includes higher excise duties such as an increase in tobacco tax from N$22.81 to N$23.58 per pack of 20 cigarettes and a 3.39% rise on alcoholic beverages, while the old age grant rises modestly to N$1 700 per month amid a constrained N$6.5 billion development allocation.

Speaking to Desert FM, Nutrition and Food Security Alliance of Namibia director Ben Schernick unpacks how sin taxes and excise adjustments intersect with food insecurity, poverty and household vulnerability.