GENEVA, Jan 13 (KUNA) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday called on governments to significantly strengthen taxes on sugary drinks and alcoholic beverages.
WHO warned that weak tax systems allow harmful products to remain cheap on the market at a time when health systems are facing growing financial pressure from preventable noncommunicable diseases and shortfalls in health funding.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press conference in Geneva that health taxes have become one of the strongest tools available to promote health and prevent disease.
He noted that increasing taxes on products such as tobacco, sugary drinks and alcohol can help governments ease the burden on health systems and unlock funds for vital health services.
In a separate statement issued Tuesday from Geneva WHO said that the combined global market for sugary drinks and alcoholic beverages generates billions of dollars in profit while governments get only a relatively small share of this value through health-motivated taxes. Meanwhile societies are bearing the long-term health and economic costs.
The statement noted that at least 116 countries impose taxes on sugary drinks and on carbonated beverages while other high-sugar products such as fruit juices sweetened milk drinks and ready-to-drink coffees and teas often escape taxation.
It also explained that alcoholic beverages remained affordable in most countries since 2022 despite at least 167 countries levying taxes on alcohol while 12 countries ban alcohol entirely.
WHO urged countries to raise taxes as part of its new "3 by 35" initiative which aims to increase the real prices of three products (tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks) by 2035 making them less affordable in order to protect people's health. (end) imk.mt