WHO Sounds Alarm on Affordable Alcohol and Sugary Drinks in India
The World Health Organisation has issued a stark warning about alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages in India. Both products are becoming more affordable despite overwhelming evidence linking them to serious health problems. The WHO calls weak tax design across South-East Asia a major public health failure.
Tax Systems Fail to Protect Public Health
Recent global reports from WHO rank South-East Asia among the weakest regions for health-oriented taxation. India falls within this concerning category. While taxes exist on these products, they fail to reduce consumption effectively. The current tax structures do not link to alcohol strength or sugar content. They also lack adjustments for inflation and rising incomes.
This flawed approach means prices drop in real terms even as health risks increase. People can afford more harmful products as their incomes grow, creating a dangerous cycle.
Alcohol Taxation Remains Inadequate
The Global Report on Alcohol and Health reveals troubling statistics. Only about one-quarter of countries worldwide automatically adjust excise taxes for inflation. South-East Asia performs especially poorly on alcohol-content-based taxation. WHO considers this method the most effective deterrent against excessive drinking.
Instead, many countries including India use flat or category-based taxes. These approaches allow high-strength alcohol and binge drinking to remain affordable. The consequences are already visible in hospitals across the country.
Doctors See Rising Health Problems
Dr Sharad Malhotra, Senior Consultant and Director of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Aakash Healthcare, reports concerning trends. Hospitals are seeing younger patients with advanced liver disease, alcohol-related cancers, heart problems and mental health disorders. These conditions stem directly from heavy drinking patterns.
"Rising incomes, celebrity promotion and peer pressure are fuelling binge drinking among youth," Dr Malhotra warns. He adds a sobering observation: "When alcohol keeps getting cheaper, we are effectively subsidising future disease and premature deaths."
WHO identifies alcohol as a leading risk factor for premature death and disability worldwide. It contributes significantly to liver cirrhosis, various cancers, cardiovascular disease, injuries and violence. The burden is shifting rapidly to low- and middle-income countries like India where consumption rises faster than policy responses.
Sugary Drinks Follow Similar Pattern
The WHO Global Report on the Use of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes reveals parallel problems with sugary drinks. The median total tax on a 330-ml sugary carbonated drink in South-East Asia stands at about 22.7%. However, most of this comes from GST or VAT. These broad consumption taxes do little to reduce intake.
The excise component remains weak across the region. Six of eight South-East Asia countries including India have excise taxes on sugary drinks. Yet these levels remain too low to significantly reduce consumption. Rising incomes have again outpaced price increases, making sugary drinks progressively cheaper.
Health Experts Voice Concerns
Dr Anoop Misra of Fortis C-DOC highlights the health impacts of sugary drinks. These beverages are driving obesity, type-2 diabetes and heart disease. The problems increasingly affect adolescents and young adults. Dr Misra warns that many packaged fruit juices contain as much sugar as soft drinks.
WHO notes that weak tax design blunts public health impact. Fruit juices, sweetened milk drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees often receive light taxation. This allows consumers to switch products rather than reduce overall sugar intake. Only 25% of countries tax sugary drinks based on sugar content.
Policy Experts Call for Reform
Consumer policy expert Professor Bejon Kumar Misra of Healthy You Foundation criticizes India's current approach. "When taxes are not linked to alcohol strength or sugar content and not adjusted for inflation, harmful products become more affordable as incomes rise," he explains. "Strong excise taxes work; GST-heavy systems do not."
WHO emphasizes that properly designed excise taxes can achieve multiple benefits. They reduce disease, lower healthcare costs and raise government revenue. Without urgent reform, alcohol and sugary drinks will continue becoming cheaper. This shifts the burden of preventable illness onto already strained health systems.
The situation requires immediate attention from policymakers. Effective taxation could protect public health while generating resources for healthcare. The current system fails on both counts, according to WHO's assessment.
