Earlier this week, on the anniversary of Prohibition’s repeal, the World Health Organization (WHO) published an article calling on global governments to increase taxes on alcohol and sugary beverages to interfere with and reduce market consumption.
The WHO reported that several countries globally had what the organization considered to be a low rate of taxes applied to alcoholic drinks and “sugary sweetened beverages (SSBs).”
Researchers at the WHO found it concerning that “the majority of countries are not using taxes to incentivize healthier [behaviors].”
“Globally, 2.6 million people die from drinking alcohol every year and over 8 million from an unhealthy diet; implementing tax on alcohol and SSBs will reduce these deaths,” the WHO claims. Dr. Rűdiger Krech, Director of Health Promotion at the World Health Organization, added, “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,…
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