India's tobacco governance reveals a stark contradiction, as the government collects over Rs 75,000 crore in tobacco taxes yet allocates less than Rs 50 crore annually to tobacco control programs, resulting in a chronic underfunding of health initiatives. This...
Higher taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks could raise $2.1 trillion for low- and middle-income countries while improving public health and reducing reliance on foreign aid, says the IMF.A new Finance & Development article by Masood Ahmed and Minouche...
Pakistan's Ministry of Health has proposed a 20% health tax on processed and ultra-processed food and beverages as part of a public health strategy to reduce unhealthy consumption and generate revenue for healthcare spending. Pakistan’s Ministry of Health has proposed...
Africa’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is launching innovative financing solutions to boost domestic health funding among member states, encouraging them to allocate at least 15% of their national budgets to health. This strategy includes piloting new...
NCDs cause nearly 75% of global deaths, yet funding remains scarce. Experts at a Kigali forum called for increased domestic resources through excise taxes, pooled procurement, and public-private partnerships. Governments worldwide are under growing pressure to...
Published in Globalization and Health by Springer Nature, the article A political economy analysis of the legislative response to unhealthy food and beverage marketing in Chile, Canada and the UK by Fiona Sing, Sally Mackay, Boyd Swinburn, and Kelly Garton explores...
This World Bank policy brief explores strategies to improve financing for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health services amid rising demand and constrained health budgets. Despite increasing healthcare needs, government spending remains insufficient,...
Kyrgyzstan’s 2023 price regulation on essential medicines has made hypertension treatment more affordable for hundreds of thousands, improving financial protection. However, the recent introduction of VAT on medicines threatens these gains, prompting ongoing...
Brazil’s exemption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) from a selective tax risks worsening non-communicable diseases. Evidence links UPFs to chronic illnesses, highlighting the need for stronger fiscal measures. The Lancet reports that Brazil's decision to exclude...
Tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) industries showed strong financial performance during and after the pandemic, despite initial setbacks. Experts urge raising health taxes to curb consumption and offset industry resistance. This blog post was first...
The OECD report, Tobacco Taxation in Latin America and the Caribbean, delves into the pressing health, economic, and social challenges posed by tobacco use in the region. It highlights significant opportunities for reforming tobacco tax policies to reduce consumption,...
The Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health highlights that raising health taxes could save 50 million lives and raise $3.7 trillion, emphasizing the importance of strategic political leadership. The blog post 2025: A Crucial Year for Scaling Up Health Taxes discusses...
The newly released 2025 Irish national budget includes substantial increases in funding for health. While direct funding to reduce costs to patients is explicit for some aspects of women’s health, this public funding will also benefit patients who use the health...
The Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health has released a report emphasising the urgent need to raise health taxes to combat the global burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Co-chaired by Mike Bloomberg, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of Barbados, and economist...
Health taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages are crucial for controlling noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Recently launched UN NCD report series offers practical guidance for effective implementation. The United Nations Interagency Task Force on...
