WHO calls on countries to increase taxes on alcohol and sugary beverages

Globally 2.6m people die from drinking alcohol every year and over eight million from an unhealthy diet, implementing a tax on alcohol and SSBs will reduce these deaths.

Half of all countries taxing SSBs are also taxing water, which is not recommended by WHO. Although 108 countries are taxing some sort of sugar-sweetened beverage, globally, on average excise tax, a tax designated for a specified consumer product, represents just 6.6 per cent of the price of soda.

At least 148 countries have applied excise taxes to alcoholic beverages at the national level. However, wine is exempted from excise taxes in at least 22 countries, most of which are in the European Region. Globally, on average, the excise tax share in the price of the most sold brand of beer is 17.2 per cent. For the most sold brand of the most sold spirits type, it is 26.5 per cent.