New Delhi, Jan 14 || Increasing taxes on fruit juices, sugary drinks, and alcohol is essential to curb the rising non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancers, and injuries, especially in children and young adults, said the World Health Organization (WHO).
In two new global reports, the WHO flagged concerns that sugary drinks and alcoholic beverages are getting cheaper, due to consistently low tax rates in most countries.
While more than 100 countries tax sugary drinks like sodas, other high-sugar products, such as 100 per cent fruit juices, sweetened milk drinks, and ready-to-drink coffees and teas, escape taxation. The median tax for these accounts for only about 2 per cent of the price of a common sugary soda.
Besides, only a few countries are adjusting taxes for inflation, allowing the health-harming products to become steadily more affordable.
Being cheap for consumption, the harmful products are generating billions of dollars in profit. On the other hand, health systems across the globe are facing mounting financial pressure from preventable noncommunicable diseases and injuries, the WHO said, while calling on governments to significantly strengthen taxes on sugary drinks and alcoholic beverages.