The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on governments worldwide to significantly raise taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks to increase public funds and reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The UN health agency recommends increasing prices by at least 50 percent by 2035, warning that growing consumption of these products is driving a global epidemic of conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
A recent WHO report highlighted that a one-off 50 percent price hike on these harmful goods could prevent around 50 million premature deaths over the next five decades.
“Health taxes are among the most effective measures available,” said Jeremy Farrar, WHO’s assistant director-general for health promotion and disease prevention. “They reduce consumption of damaging products while generating revenue that governments can reinvest in healthcare, education, and social protection. The time to act is now.”
The WHO’s “3 by 35” campaign arrives amid mounting pressure on healthcare systems worldwide, facing rising NCD rates, dwindling development aid, and escalating public debts.
Past implementations of health taxes have resulted in lower consumption and increased government revenue, the organisation noted. It also urged countries to reconsider tax breaks that continue to support “unhealthy industries” like tobacco.
NCDs currently account for over 75 percent of deaths globally, with tobacco alone responsible for more than seven million fatalities annually.
The WHO estimated that raising health taxes could generate an additional $1 trillion in public revenue over the coming decade.
“Between 2012 and 2022, nearly 140 countries increased tobacco taxes, causing real prices to rise by over 50 percent on average, demonstrating that large-scale reforms are achievable,” the WHO added.
