Mexico City, (EFE) .- Civil Organizations requested this Friday to the Government of Claudia Sheinbaum establish taxes on sugary drinks, tobacco and alcohol, as recommended on July 2 the World Health Organization (WHO).
“The WHO, through its proposal ‘3 for 35’ presented on July 2 of this year, has taken a very important step by calling high taxes to sugary drinks, tobacco and alcohol, reaching 50 % for 2035,” the alliance for Food Health (ASA) said in a statement.
The agency, which associates more than 20 organizations, “urgently called the government to establish high taxes to these products that, he said, became the main cause of premature disease and death.
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He recalled that, according to the report ‘healthy taxes. More resources for public health ‘, the consumption of these products represent high economic costs in proportion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP): 2.07 % per alcohol, 0.57 % per tobacco and 1.78 % due to obesity and overweight, which are risk factors associated with sugary drinks and ultra -processed foods.
However, the collection of the Special Tax on Production and Services (IEPS) applied to sugary drinks, alcohol, tobacco and ultraprocessed foods together barely represents 0.6% of GDP, which shows that IEPS is insufficient to compensate for the damage caused by industries.
“The evidence about the damages and costs associated with the consumption of these products and the need to tax them to make viable not only the health of the population, but also public finances, has led to the World Bank itself and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to support the initiative of healthy taxes,” he said.
Given this, he said that healthy taxes are not only part of a recommended, desirable policy, but are a necessity for the financial viability of the health system and for a comprehensive health policy for the Mexican population.
He said that the central objectives of the WHO proposal are: cutting harmful consumption by reducing affordability, raising income to finance health and development and generate broad political support in different ministries, civil society and universities.
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