World Health Organization (WHO): Increase taxes on tobacco and alcohol by half

Geneva. The World Health Organization (WHO) is advocating for significantly increased taxes on tobacco products, alcohol, and sugary drinks. It is urging countries to increase the prices of these harmful products by at least 50 percent by 2035 by raising the relevant taxes.

The revenue could be used to finance the fight against heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, for example, the UN organization in Geneva explained. According to the WHO, these and other non-communicable diseases currently account for three-quarters of all deaths worldwide.

The headquarters of the World Health Organization in Geneva

Source: IMAGO/dieBildmanufaktur

The WHO cites a 2024 report that found that around 50 million premature deaths could be prevented within 50 years if the prices of these products were increased by 50 percent once – by 2035. The report was written by the "Health Tax Policy" working group, which is funded by the non-profit organization Bloomberg Philanthropies. The WHO calls it a "3 by 35" initiative – that is, three times 50 percent by 2035.

The initiative could raise one trillion dollars over the next ten years to invest in health, education and social protection measures, the WHO calculated.

RND/dpa