<a href="https://healthylife7.com/lack-of-data-contributing-to-womens-health-gap/” title=”Lack of data contributing to ‘women’s health gap’”>Health taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages are among the most effective interventions for reducing consumption of unhealthy products while generating government revenue.
The seventy-seventh session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific will feature health taxes as a virtual side event leading up to the Regional Committee Meeting.
The side event is aligned with WHO’s global 3 by 35 Initiative, which calls on countries to increase the real prices of tobacco, alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages by at least 50% through health taxes by 2035. The initiative aims to reduce the burden of noncommunicable diseases while generating additional domestic re
This online session will focus on practical country experiences in health tax modelling and revenue allocation, while also addressing a recurring concern raised in policy discussions: illicit trade.
Through case studies from the Western Pacific Region, the session will explore key lessons, common challenges and considerations for countries seeking to advance health tax policies without allowing illicit trade concerns to weaken the public health rationale for reform.
Objectives
- Understand key technical and political opportunities for advancing health taxes.
- Understand how tax modelling can be used to support the design and adoption of health tax policies.
- Learn from country experiences in allocating health tax revenues, including earmarking practices.
- Discuss common challenges and strategies to prepare for policy dialogue and implementation.
- Consider how concerns about illicit trade can be addressed through stronger tax administration, enforcement and supply chain controls while protecting the public health rationale for health taxes.
This event will be livestreamed on X, Facebook, YouTube and the RCM77web page.
