The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked governments to raise taxes on sugary drinks and alcoholic beverages because weak tax systems are allowing harmful products to remain cheap and cause diseases. As a result, treatment costs are going up for non-communicable diseases and injuries, all of which are preventable.
Releasing two papers, the WHO has called on countries to raise and redesign taxes as part of its new 3 by 35 initiative, which aims to increase prices of three products — tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks — by 2035, making them less affordable over time to help protect people’s health.
“Health taxes are one of the strongest tools we have for promoting health and preventing disease,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told media persons during a virtual interaction. Increasing taxes on products like tobacco, sugary drinks and alcohol, he believes, can help governments reduce harmful consumption and unlock funds for vital health services.
He even welcomed India’s initiative on raising taxes on tobacco and related products and said they would support more such countries. From February, pan masala, cigarettes, tobacco and related products will attract a GST of 40 per cent while bidis will attract 18 per cent GST as per a Central government notification.
A critical juncture for India
Dr Shalini Singh, Director, Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research said that the WHO’s global reports on health taxes come at a critical juncture for India, where non-communicable diseases account for over 60% of all deaths. “The WHO finding that sugary drink taxes account for merely two per cent of product prices globally mirrors weak taxation framework for these health-harming products. What is particularly concerning is the impact on children and adolescents. Rising obesity rates among Indian children, fuelled by aggressive marketing of sugary beverages, are contributing to early-onset diabetes and metabolic disorders that increase cancer risk later in life. From a cancer prevention perspective, alcohol consumption is a well-established risk factor for multiple cancers, including oral, oesophageal, liver, colorectal and breast cancers,” she said.
What India needs
India needs comprehensive taxation reform covering all sugar-sweetened beverages, across all kinds of alcohol and tobacco products, with regular inflation-indexed adjustments to prevent erosion of tax effectiveness. “We need a harmonized GST structure that prioritizes health over revenue considerations, particularly for alcohol where state-level variations create policy inconsistencies,” Dr Singh added.
Sugary drinks and alcoholic beverages are getting cheaper because of consistently low tax rates in most countries, fuelling obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancers and injuries, especially in children and young adults. The new reports show that at least 116 countries tax sugary drinks, many of which are sodas. But many other high-sugar products, such as 100% fruit juices, sweetened milk drinks and ready-to-drink coffees and teas escape taxation. While 97% of countries tax energy drinks, this figure has not changed since the last global report in 2023.
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A separate WHO report shows that at least 167 countries have levied taxes on alcoholic beverages while 12 have banned alcohol entirely. Despite this, alcohol has become more affordable or its prices have remained unchanged in most countries since 2022 as taxes fail to keep pace with inflation and income growth. Wine remains untaxed in at least 25 countries, mostly in Europe, despite clear health risks.
WHO found that across regions, tax shares on alcohol remain low with global excise share medians of 14% for beer and 22.5% for spirits. Sugary drink taxes are weak and poorly targetted with the median tax accounting for only about 2% of the price of a common sugary soda and often applying only to a subset of beverages, missing large parts of the market. Few countries adjust taxes for inflation, allowing health-harming products to become more affordable.
Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues .
Professional Background
Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature.
Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO.
Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives.
Awards and Recognition
Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.”
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care
"Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease.
Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose.
2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series)
Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs.
"For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune.
3. Lifestyle & Wellness News
"They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions.
At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents.
4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure
For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics.
Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far.
Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership
Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions.
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