Alcohol Taxation Benefits – Win-Win-Win Measure. A triple win measure for global health and sustainable development
The infographic visualizes the vast and growing evidence that alcohol taxation holds massive potential for global health, for helping achieve the sustainable development goals and also for significantly contributing to financing health and development.

Implementing alcohol taxation measures reaps a triple positive effect [1]
The most cost-effective measures to prevent and address alcohol harm remain price interventions especially through taxation. [5, 6, 7]
Domestic resource mobilization
- Generate government revenue for financing development and health promotion
Easing the public health and sustainable development burden
- Reduce alcohol-related harms and alcohol’s overall public health, social and economic burden
Prevention of initiation of alcohol use
- Maintain high-levels of alcohol abstention rates in low- and middle income countries
Domestic resource mobilization: Untapped potential
Compared with tobacco taxation, the potential for domestic resource mobilization through alcohol taxation could be even bigger since taxes on alcohol tend to be lower in most countries. [2]
A study of 42 high-, middle- and low-income countries found that raising excise duties on alcohol to at least 40% of the total retail price would increase tax revenue in these countries by 80% to US$ 77 Billion. [3]
Expressed as a proportion of total current spending on health, it is low-income countries that have most to gain (additional receipts would amount to 38% of total current spending on health). [4]
At the same time, evidence shows that alcohol’s pervasive harm is preventable. [5]
Sources of evidence used in the infographic
[1] Sornpaisarn B, Shield KD, Österberg E, Rehm J, editors. Resource tool on alcohol taxation and pricing policies. Geneva. World Health Organization; 2017. Licence: CCBY-NC-SA3.0IGO
[2] WHO News Release, May 27, 2014, Geneva http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/no-tobacco-day/en/
[3] Stenberg et.al. Responding to the challenge of resource mobilization – mechanisms for raising additional domestic resources for health. World Health Report (2010) Background Paper, 13, World Health Organization, 2010 http://www.who.int/healthsystems/topics/financing/healthreport/13Innovativedomfinancing.pdf
[4] Ibid.
[5] The case for investing in public health: a public health summary report for EPHO 8. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2014.
[6] McDaid D, Sassi F, Merkur S. Promoting health, preventing disease: the economic case. Copenhagen: European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies; 2015.
[7] Merkur S, Sassi F, McDaid D. Promoting health, preventing disease: is there an economic case? Copenhagen: European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies; 2013.
SDG 1
Mattioli B, Quaranta MG, Vella S. Review on the evidence on public health impact of existing policies. Rome: FRESHER; 2016
McDaid D, Sassi F, Merkur S. Promoting health, preventing disease: the economic case. Copenhagen: European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies; 2015.
SDG 3
Scientific American: Raising alcohol taxes can curtail assaults and suicides
Wagenaar, et al., 2010
Staras S, Livingston M, Wagenaar A.: Maryland Alcohol Sales Tax and Sexually Transmitted Infections. American Journal of Preventative Medicine. 2015
Markowitz, Chatterji, Kaestner: Estimating the Impact of Alcohol Policies on Youth Suicides, The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics J Ment Health Policy Econ 6, 37-46 (2003)
SDG 4
McDaid, Sassi, Merkur (editors): Promoting health, preventing disease. The economic case. New York, 2015.
SDG 4
Chaloupka et.al.: The Effects of Price on Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol-Related Problems, NIAAA, 2002
SDG 5
Chaloupka et.al.: The Effects of Price on Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol-Related Problems, NIAAA, 2002
SDG 8
Alcohol taxation creates more jobs, not less (link)
SDG 10
McDaid D, Sassi F, Merkur S. Promoting health, preventing disease: the economic case. Copenhagen: European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies; 2015.
Rehm et al. 2009b
SDG 11
Jon Foster, Alcohol, domestic abuse and sexual assault, Institute of Alcohol Studies, September 2014
SDG 16
WHO Fact sheet: Child maltreatment and alcohol (PDF)
SDG 17
Rehm et al., 2009a
Laslett et al., 2010
The case for investing in public health: a public health summary report for EPHO 8. Copenhagen: WHO Regional O ce for Europe; 2014.
McDaid D, Sassi F, Merkur S. Promoting health, preventing disease: the economic case. Copenhagen: European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies; 2015.
Merkur S, Sassi F, McDaid D. Promoting health, preventing disease: is there an economic case? Copenhagen: European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies; 2013.