A new WHO report concludes that life and health can be saved by introducing increased taxes on alcoholic beverages.
The report refers, among other things, to Scotland and Wales, which have introduced a minimum price of NOK 6 per unit of alcohol.
In Scotland, this resulted in alcohol sales falling by almost 8 per cent, according to a study conducted by Newcastle University and published in the medical journal Lancet.
1 million deaths
The WHO has previously documented that alcohol is responsible for almost 1 million deaths annually in Europe, and that alcohol-related injuries account for 12 percent of all deaths among European men and 8 percent among women. This places Europe at the top of the world.
All European countries have introduced some form of tax on alcohol, but “these taxes are often implemented in a way that is unlikely to benefit public health,” the WHO report states.
Cheaper and cheaper
Few countries, for example, adjust taxes in line with inflation, which in practice means that alcohol is becoming cheaper and cheaper.
According to the WHO, a minimum price for alcohol units will first and foremost affect the price of alcohol with a high alcohol content. It will be able to encourage people to choose less strong drinks, which will be a good measure for public health, according to the report.
This could be particularly important for those who drink a lot, and especially among those with low incomes, the WHO believes.
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