There is a policy measure that can simultaneously save millions of lives, reduce poverty, and increase countries' domestic resources for financing development. The policy measure consists of increasing excise tax rates on tobacco in order to reduce its affordability and, as evidence shows, lower...

During the past decade, Tanzania has experienced steady economic growth, with average annual growth rates of between 6 and 7 percent. Despite this positive trend in the economy, poverty rates have not decreased accordingly; more than one-fourth of Tanzania's 53 million inhabitants live below the...

As a low-income country, Ethiopia has made impressive progress in improving health outcomes. This report examines how Ethiopia's Health Extension Program (HEP) has contributed to the country's move toward Univeral Health Coverage (UHC), and to shed light on how other countries may learn from...

Ghana National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was established in 2003 as a major vehicle to achieve the country's commitment of Universal Health Coverage. The government has earmarked value-added tax to finance NHIS in addition to deduction from Social Security Trust (SSNIT) and premium payment....

This country brief presents an overview of current tobacco control legislation, use, and taxation policy in Vietnam. Data and information were collected from different sources. The brief is intended to serve as the context for complementary assessments on different aspects of tobacco taxation in...

The current crisis of forced displacement is posing serious humanitarian and development challenges across the world. The World Bank Group and the international community at large cannot ignore these challenges, given their scale and complexity. As documented in a recent World Bank report, about...

The goal of this study is to examine cigarette affordability in Russia between 2002 and 2017 in order to provide an understanding of the country's current tobacco excise tax policy, and to identify opportunities and next steps

This report uses selected scenarios for increasing excise taxes on tobacco products in Trinidad and Tobago, with the aim of reducing smoking prevalence across the population. These scenarios provide inputs for modeling the long-term health and cost benefits to the population of proposed excise...