The World Health Organization has called on governments around the world to significantly increase taxes on alcoholic and sugary beverages. This recommendation is contained in two recent global reports from WHO.
The organization emphasizes that low tax rates make these products more accessible, which in turn contributes to the rise of diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, as well as increasing the number of injuries, especially among youth and children. This creates an additional burden on healthcare systems.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that taxes on unhealthy products are one of the most effective methods of disease prevention and can also help increase the budget for medical services.
According to WHO, excise taxes on sugary drinks have been introduced in 116 countries; however, many of them do not cover a significant portion of such products. At the same time, excise taxes on alcohol exist in at least 167 countries, but in most cases, their rates are not revised, making alcohol still accessible.
The organization also noted that the majority of the population supports raising taxes on alcohol and sugary drinks, which could reduce the consumption of these products and increase government revenue.
