The youth project aims to influence the government policies, like taxing locally brewed liquors.
“This is part of the efforts of the Ministry of Health (MOH) to help prevent or review alcohol consumption among youths in Palau,” Chief of Hatohobei Heimong Sebastian Marino said in an interview. The MOH decided to partner with the Council of Chiefs. At present, different States have different projects.
Marino works with the youths of Hatohobei and Sonsorol called Youths Against Drugs and Alcohol for the Next Generation (YADANG). “I worked with the group and we came up with a petition toward eliminating alcohol consumption among youths,” he said.
He added that based on statistics by Public Health, locally brewed alcohol like taro wine are not taxed.
“Both the community and the government will win if we start taxing locally brewed liquors,” Marino said. “If the price goes up, consumption goes down. The community wins. If the tax goes up, then the government wins.”
The youths are also asking the delegates to look into the tax system in the country. “Unlike in the US where they tax their liquors based on the percentage of alcohol content, in Palau, we tax our imported liquors based on volume,” Marino said. Although wine has less alcohol content than vodka, their taxes are the same.
Both Speaker Idechong and Delegate Andrew pledged support to the youths’ petition.
The speaker said although he is aware that this kind of project is going on in the community and he is fully supporting the initiatives of the youth, he can’t guarantee anything because there are a lot of other things that are going on in the legislative process that may hinder the positive outcome of this project.
“I’m glad that Sonsorol and Hatohobei are working with these youths,” Idechong said. “We certainly support your petition. What you are doing is a very tough job, influencing others.”
Idechong reminded the youths to be true to themselves, stay away from drugs and alcohol and be a role model to their brothers and sisters and peers.
Andrew, on the other hand, promised that he will put together a bill based on the petition that the youths have submitted to them.
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