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Taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugar sweetened beverages: Linkages and lessons learned

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  • Blecher, Evan

Abstract

Increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has been linked to increases in obesity in both high-income and low- and middle-income countries. Tobacco and alcohol taxes have proven to be effective tools to reduce tobacco and alcohol use. Many public health advocates propose using similar taxes to reduce consumption of SSBs. South Africa is a middle-income country that is considered a leader in the area of tobacco tax policy. A case study of tobacco and alcohol taxes is used to better understand optimal tax structures for SSBs. The case study tracks aggregate data over time on taxes, prices, consumption, tax revenues, and marketing expenditures at the brand level. Tobacco and alcohol taxes are shown to be effective in reducing the demand for tobacco. Additionally, taxes on the dose of alcohol rather than the volume of the beverage may incentivize producers to reduce the volume of alcohol in beverages through the supply side. While specific taxes based on the volume of beverages are likely to reduce the demand for SSBs, policy makers should also consider taxes on alcohol and SSBs that tax the dose of the alcohol and calories in order to create supply-side incentives for producers to lower alcohol and calorie levels in existing products or promote products with lower levels of alcohol and calories.

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  • Blecher, Evan, 2015. "Taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugar sweetened beverages: Linkages and lessons learned," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 136, pages 175-179.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:136-137:y:2015:i::p:175-179
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.05.022
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Campus, Brooke & Fafard, Patrick & St. Pierre, Jessica & Hoffman, Steven J., 2021. "Comparing the regulation and incentivization of e-cigarettes across 97 countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 291(C).
    2. Stacey, Nicholas & Mudara, Caroline & Ng, Shu Wen & van Walbeek, Corné & Hofman, Karen & Edoka, Ijeoma, 2019. "Sugar-based beverage taxes and beverage prices: Evidence from South Africa's Health Promotion Levy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 1-1.
    3. Zhai, Tianchang & Li, Lei & Wang, Jingjing & Si, Wei, 2022. "Will the consumption tax on sugar-sweetened beverages help promote healthy beverage consumption? Evidence from urban China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    4. Jakub Sopko, 2020. "An overview of selected risk factors for health in OECD countries," Proceedings of Economics and Finance Conferences 10913074, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences.
    5. Alfred K. Mukong & Ernest N. Tingum, 2018. "The Demand for Cigarettes: New Evidence from South Africa," Working Papers 745, Economic Research Southern Africa.

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