At Least 20% Tax Increase On Sugary Drinks Would Reduce Consumption, Help Prevent NCDs, WHO Report Says

Christian Science Monitor: WHO seeks 20 percent tax hike on sugary drinks: Will countries listen?
“…In a report published Tuesday titled ‘Fiscal Policies for Diet and Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases,’ WHO calls for countries to increase the retail prices of sugary drinks by 20 percent through taxation, saying that a proportional drop in consumption would result…” (Kauffman, 10/11).

New York Times: WHO Urges Tax on Sugary Drinks to Fight Obesity
“…[Such a reduction] would advance the fight against obesity, which has more than doubled since 1980. About half a billion adults were obese in 2014, roughly 11 percent of men and 15 percent of women…” (Tavernise, 10/11).

NPR: Tax Soda To Fight Obesity, WHO Urges Nations Around The Globe
“… ‘If governments tax products like sugary drinks, they can reduce suffering and save lives. They can also cut health care costs and increase revenues to invest in health services,’ [Douglas Bettcher, director of the WHO’s Department for the Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases,] was quoted as saying in a WHO release on the report…” (Aubrey, 10/11).

U.N. News Centre: Taxing sugary drinks can curb global epidemic of obesity and diabetes — U.N. health agency
“…The report points out that some groups, including people living on low incomes, young people, and those who frequently consume unhealthy foods and beverages, are most responsive to changes in prices of drinks and foods and, therefore, gain the highest health benefits…” (10/11).

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