- India
- International
Taxes on soft drinks, alcohol and tobacco are a powerful response to the rising rate of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide, an analysis of data on expenditure, behaviour and socio-economic status, published in The Lancet — a peer-reviewed general medical journal — has found.
The analysis studies data from across the globe to present evidence that taxes on “unhealthy” products have the potential to produce major health gains among the poorest in society, who are disproportionately affected by NCDs. It has been welcomed by experts in India, who maintain that increasing tobacco taxes was one of the most cost-effective tobacco control measures.
According to Rachel Nugent, RTI International (Seattle, USA) and Chair of The Lancet Taskforce on NCDs and economics, the analysis has also found that high-income households generally consume and spend more on alcohol, soft drinks and snacks, compared to low-income households. Patterns for tobacco, however, were less consistent.
In India, wealthier households spent seven times more on alcohol and three times more on soft drinks and snacks, as compared to poorer households, the study found.
The analysis is based on data from 13 countries — Chile, Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, Albania, Poland, Turkey, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Niger, Nigeria, India and Timor-Leste.
Dr Monica Arora, additional professor at Public Health Foundation of India, cited another meta-analysis on price elasticity of demand of tobacco products, published in Tobacco Control Journal in January, that revealed a 10 per cent price increase would reduce demand by 8.3% for cigars, 6.4% for roll your owns, 5.7% for bidis and 2.1% for smokeless tobacco.