How Govts Are Supporting Deaths, High Diseases’ Prevalence – WHO

A stunning data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) has indicted governments of inadvertently supporting deaths and high diseases’ prevalence amongst their people.

This they are doing by not carrying out enough punitive action on companies and organisations behind unhealthy products on sale in their climes.

The WHO specifying on alcohol and Sugary Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) known to contain high amount of sugar as exaples, submitted that government’s acquiescence in the manufacturing practices behind these products has seen persistence in their over-lacing and prevalence of diseases and deaths.

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It said findings in the study showed that rather than using taxes for example to incentivize healthier behaviours, that governments were looking the other way.

“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”, a WHO release on the study said, adding that “Half of all countries taxing SSBs are also taxing water, which is not recommended by WHO.

Underscoring the danger of this to the high diseases’ prevalence and death, it added: “Although 108 countries are taxing some sort of sugar-sweetened beverage, globally, on average excise tax, a tax designated for a specified consumer product, represents just 6.6% of the price of soda.

The global health agency observed that at least 148 countries have applied excise taxes to alcoholic beverages at the national level.

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It added however, that wine is exempted from excise taxes in at least 22 countries, most of which are in the European Region. Globally, on average, the excise tax share in the price of the most sold brand of beer is 17.2%. For the most sold brand of the most sold spirits type, it is 26.5%”.

According to it, a 2017 study shows that taxes that increase alcohol prices by 50% would help avert over 21 million deaths over 50 years and generate nearly US$17 trillion in additional revenues.

This, the WHO added, is equivalent to the total government revenue of eight of the world’s largest economies in one year.

“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, taxes also help prevent violence and road traffic injuries,” said Dr Rűdiger Krech, Director, Health Promotion, World Health Organization.

Countries like Lithuania, that increased alcohol tax in 2017 to drive down consumption have decreased deaths and high diseases’ prevalence from alcohol.

“Lithuania increased alcohol tax revenue from 234 million euros in 2016 to 323 million euros in 2018 and saw alcohol-related deaths drop from 23.4 per 100 000 people in 2016 to 18.1 per 100 000 people in 2018.

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“Research shows that taxing alcohol and SSBs helps cut down use of these products and gives companies a reason to make healthier products. While at the same time tax on these products help prevent injuries and non-communicable diseases such as cancers, diabetes and heart diseases”.

The report also cited a recent Gallup Poll, conducted in collaboration with WHO and Bloomberg Philanthropies, which found that the majority of people surveyed across all countries supported increasing taxes on unhealthy products such as alcohol and SBBs.