02.06.2018

STAX approach

Sugar, tobacco, and alcohol taxes to achieve the SDGs

The Lancet "More than a decade after the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, there is compelling evidence that raising tobacco prices substantially through taxation is the single most effective way to reduce tobacco use and save lives. Similarly, alcohol taxation is a cost-effective way to reduce alcohol consumption and harm. With growing evidence, sugar taxes are another fiscal tool to promote health and nutrition. Mexico's sugar tax reduced sugar-sweetened beverage sales by 5% in the first year, with an almost 10% further reduction in the second year." (Photo: Pabak Sarkar/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)