Sin taxes are increasingly being used to discourage the consumption of goods perceived to harm individuals and society. This paper examines the impact of South Africa's Health Promotion Levy (HPL)-the first sugar tax implemented in Africa-on the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in...

This study contributes to the growing body of evidence on the implementation of taxes on high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products in EU Member States. It provides a foundation for initial discussions with EU Member States on advancing HFSS taxes in general and particularly sugar-sweetened...

This paper uses restricted-access data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey to assess whether the sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax levied in Seattle in 2018 led to declines in body mass index (BMI) and the rate of obesity. We implement an event-study design which compares...

Using surveys and experiments, we provide evidence on how people think about and justify sugar-sweetened-beverage (SSB) taxes, a widely discussed behavioral policy intervention. We show that motives to correct internalities and behavioral biases impact policy preferences almost as much as...

En México se necesitan urgentemente mejoras en los impuestos selectivos al tabaco, las bebidas alcohólicas y las bebidas azucaradas para reducir las muertes prematuras evitables. En México, 125,350 personas pierden la vida anualmente debido al uso de estos productos. Más allá de los efectos...

The purpose of this note is to provide an updated overview of 1) the rationale for implementing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes, 2) the impact of SSB taxes on prices, the demand for SSBs and substitutes, and economic outcomes, and 3) tax design, revenue, and tax administration...

Public health policy aims to reduce unhealthy behaviors while promoting positive health outcomes. To address the harmful impact of sugar-sweetened drinks, a tax policy has been introduced to reduce their consumption. The policy seeks to discourage people from drinking these liquids by...

The estimation and analysis of the distribution of the negative health impacts of certain commodities subject to excise taxes in Belize and the distribution of the burdens of the excise taxes across households of different income levels are the focus of this article. Particular attention is...

Portugal introduced a sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) tax in 2017. This study uses unique administrative accounting data for all SSB producers/importers in Portugal, and an event study design with bottled water firms as the primary comparison group, to assess the causal impacts of the tax on...

Portugal introduced a sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) tax in 2017. This study uses unique administrative accounting data for all SSB producers/importers in Portugal, and an event study design with bottled water firms as the primary comparison group, to assess the causal impacts of the tax on...

Another quiet revolution is taking place in the alcoholic beverage markets: a trend toward lower-alcohol and even no-alcohol beverages, especially in the world's higher-income countries. This new trend adds to the long-term consumer trend in affluent countries of substituting quality for...

This report has been prepared by the World Bank, at the request of the MoH, to support ongoing efforts to improve population health and revenue mobilization in the sector. The study estimates the health impacts of increasing taxation on SSBs, alcohol, and tobacco across gender and...

The Global Tax Program Health Taxes Knowledge Note Series focuses on topics linked to implementation of health taxes, or excise taxes on tobacco, alcoholic drinks, and sugar-sweetened beverages. The purpose of this series is to provide policy makers with an overview of relevant issues and...

Introduction: Taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) have been proposed as an effective measure to tackle obesity and obesity-related health issues. The long-term consequences of SSB taxes have been modelled using economic evaluations. However, reviews of economic evaluations of public health...

In February 2017, Portugal implemented a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), under which producers were to be taxed according to the amount of sugar contained in the drinks they manufactured. We exploit administrative accounting data covering the universe of Portuguese firms between 2012...

Due to increased awareness among policymakers of the role that sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) play in the obesity epidemic, SSB taxes have been enacted in California cities of Albany, Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco as well as in Boulder, Philadelphia, and Seattle. We pooled five years of...

We estimate the effect of the tax of one Mexican peso (MP) per liter of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB), implemented since January 2014, on consumer and producer outcomes in urban Mexico. We also simulate the effect of the recommended tax of two MP per liter of SSB. Based on purchase data from...

We propose a general method that allows the identification of the policy maker’s unobserved preferences when setting different excise tax rates to differentiated products. We use it to evaluate excise beer tax policy in the Canadian province of Ontario, identifying the government’s...

Sin taxes have become a widely suggested policy instrument to discourage the consumption of goods deemed harmful to individuals and society. Using surveys and experiments on a representative sample of the US population, we provide evidence on how individuals think and reason about such...

Sports betting is growing rapidly in the US after its legalization by the Supreme Court in 2018. This paper describes the treatment of gambling winnings and losses in the federal tax code and shows how the system may incentivize some gamblers to substantially increase the scale of their betting...

Virtually all fiscal measures influence people's health, through their impacts on behaviour, consumption, income and wealth. A narrow subset of fiscal measures, however, can be more directly aimed at improving health by targeting behaviours and risks that are known to be strongly associated with...

The link between health problems and the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has been widely studied. A large array of diseases is associated with tobacco, ranging from lung cancer and stroke to congenital malformations in children. Similarly, SSB consumption...

Public health advocates warn that the rapid growth of legal markets for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) may generate a "gateway" to marijuana and harder drug consumption, particularly among teenagers. This study is the first to explore the effects of ENDS taxes on substance use. We...

This study evaluates the effects of the 2018 UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy on soft drinks prices, sales, reformulation activities, and consequently calories consumed. We combine novel electronic point of sale data that cover most of the UK soft drinks market with longitudinal nutritional...

Soda taxes are being implemented in several cities across the US with the aim of reducing sugar intake from sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs). Sugar is linked to obesity and to higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular conditions, and sodas as the main source are targeted with these taxes. In...

The impact of information on consumer behavior is a classic topic in economics, and there has recently been particular interest in whether providing nutritional information leads consumers to choose healthier diets. For example, a nationwide requirement of calorie counts on the menus of chain...

We examine a model of conspicuous consumption and explore the nature of competition in markets for conspicuous goods. We assume that, in addition to intrinsic utility, individuals seek status, and that perceptions of wealth affect status. Under identifiable conditions, the model generates Veblen...

This paper studies excise tax policy that applies different tax rates to differentiated products. We propose a general method, from the revealed preferences perspective, that allows the identification of the policy maker’s unobserved preferences when setting excise tax rates. We use it to...