The World Health Organization, or WHO, has called on countries to increase taxes on unhealthy products such as alcohol and sugary sweetened beverages (SSBs).
WHO made this call in a report it published on Tuesday, which shows a low global rate of taxes is being applied to unhealthy products.
WHO recommends that excise tax be applied to all SSBs and alcoholic beverages.
The findings in the report highlight that the majority of countries are not using taxes to incentivize healthier behaviours. To help countries, WHO is also releasing a technical manual on alcohol tax policy and administration.
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