Switzerland: The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to increase their taxes on alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs).
The move aimed at addressing the global health crisis. The WHO recently revealed new data that underscores a widespread lack of taxes on unhealthy items. The findings show that most countries are not leveraging taxes to encourage healthier behaviours.
The WHO stated that 2.6 million people a year die from drinking alcohol, while more than eight million die from having an unhealthy diet.
“Implementing a tax on alcohol and SSBs will reduce these deaths,” it added. According to the WHO, although 108 countries do impose some taxation on SSBs, globally, excise taxes on average represent just 6.6 percent of the price of a soda.
The WHO pointed out that half of those countries also tax water, something the UN agency does not recommend.
Dr. Rűdiger Krech, the WHO’s health promotion director, commented that, “Taxing unhealthy products creates healthier populations. It has a positive ripple effect across society – less disease and debilitation and revenue for governments to provide public services. In the case of alcohol, taxes also help prevent violence and road traffic injuries.”
The WHO released a manual on alcohol tax policy and administration for its 194 member states. “A significant body of research has demonstrated that people who engage in heavy episodic drinking tend to drink the cheapest available alcoholic beverages,” it said.
The WHO noted that minimum pricing, and taxation, could curb consumption of cheap booze and reduce drink-related hospitalizations, deaths, traffic violations, and crimes.
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