World Health Organization urges countries to raise alcohol taxes

The WHO's Department of Health recently released two documents - a new WHO technical manual on alcohol tax policy and a Global report on the use of alcohol taxes.

The manual encourages countries to increase their excise taxes significantly in order to reduce the affordability of alcohol products, while charging the alcohol sector with oversimplifying alcohol taxes and having an inherent conflict of interest with public health objectives.

The Global report contends that higher excise taxes will decrease the affordability of alcohol beverages, thereby reducing alcohol consumption and related harms. Key observations in the Global report also include that overall excise taxes are too low and have not kept pace with inflation, taxes are underutilised as an effective strategy to reduce consumption, and wine is exempted too often from alcohol taxes, particularly in Europe.

More informations here: WHO urges countries to raise alcohol, sugary beverage taxes (just-drinks.com)