The World Health Organization (WHO) has unveiled a brazen global tax scheme to raise prices on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks by 50%, marking yet another overreach by an unelected international body seeking control over personal choices and national tax policies.
Key Takeaways
- WHO is pushing for a 50% price increase on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks through “health taxes” by 2035 under its “3 by 35” initiative
- The organization claims the tax hike could generate $1 trillion in revenue over the next decade while preventing 50 million premature deaths
- The proposal represents significant international influence over domestic tax policy and personal freedom of choice
- WHO is targeting products popular among middle and working-class consumers while claiming to address noncommunicable diseases
- The initiative comes amid growing skepticism of global governance organizations attempting to dictate national policies
Global Tax Agenda Unveiled
The WHO has launched what it calls the “3 by 35” initiative, which aims to increase taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages by 50% by 2035. This aggressive taxation plan targets products consumed by millions of everyday citizens across the globe. According to the organization, these so-called “health taxes” are being proposed to combat noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, which were responsible for approximately 43 million deaths globally in 2021. The WHO specifically notes that 73% of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries, making their residents particular targets for this tax scheme.
WHO and its partners claim this massive tax increase could generate $1 trillion in new revenue over the next decade – money that would flow through government coffers with promises of being allocated to healthcare, education, and social programs. However, the proposal raises serious questions about sovereignty and the authority of international organizations to dictate domestic tax policy. The initiative represents yet another example of global bureaucracies attempting to exert control over national decision-making processes and personal freedoms.
Control Through Taxation
The WHO openly acknowledges that its primary goal is to use pricing to modify behavior, specifically targeting young people by making these products less affordable. This approach is fundamentally about control rather than health – using economic pressure to force compliance with WHO’s vision of appropriate consumption. The organization has been remarkably candid about its tactics, noting that between 2012 and 2022, nearly 140 countries raised tobacco taxes, resulting in real price increases of over 50% on average. This demonstrates not only the WHO’s growing influence over domestic policy but also its plan to expand this control to additional products.
“Between 2012 and 2022, nearly 140 countries raised tobacco taxes, which resulted in an increase of real prices by over 50 percent on average, showing that large-scale change is possible,” the WHO said.
The WHO’s report suggests that a one-time 50% price increase on these products could prevent 50 million premature deaths over the next half-century. While this claim is based on modeling that assumes direct causation between taxation and health outcomes, it fails to account for numerous real-world factors, including black markets, substitution effects, and the economic impact on communities dependent on these industries. Furthermore, the tax unfairly targets products commonly consumed by working and middle-class citizens while ignoring many luxury items preferred by elites.
Revenue Generation Under Health Pretenses
The WHO frames this initiative as having a “dual benefit” – reducing consumption while generating massive revenue streams. The organization is encouraging governments to dismantle existing tax incentives for these industries and to review long-term agreements that might restrict tax increases. This approach reveals that revenue generation is as much a priority as public health, if not more so. The proposal would create a trillion-dollar windfall for governments at the expense of consumers, many of whom are already struggling with record inflation and economic challenges.
“Health taxes are one of the most efficient tools we have,” said Dr. Jeremy Farrar, WHO Chief Scientist.
The WHO has explicitly called for collaboration with global partners to provide technical support, policy advice, and implementation guidance, effectively creating an international tax coordination mechanism outside the democratic process. This represents a significant expansion of unelected international bureaucracy into national sovereignty. While the WHO presents countries like Colombia and South Africa as success stories, they conveniently overlook the rise of black markets, cross-border shopping, and the regressive nature of these taxes, which disproportionately affect lower-income households who spend a larger percentage of their income on these products.
Expanding Global Governance
The WHO’s “3 by 35” initiative aligns with broader efforts by international organizations to establish governance structures that bypass national sovereignty and democratic accountability. The organization is explicitly calling for all countries to implement these taxes while seeking support from civil society organizations and development partners to advance their agenda. This approach represents a concerning trend toward global governance over domestic policies, where unelected international bodies increasingly seek to dictate national tax and regulatory frameworks under various pretexts.
While positioned as a health initiative, this tax proposal highlights the growing trend of international bodies extending their influence over domestic policies. For citizens concerned about sovereignty, personal freedom, and limiting government intrusion into daily life, the WHO’s tax scheme represents a troubling expansion of global governance into areas traditionally reserved for elected national representatives. As with many such initiatives, once established, these mechanisms of control and taxation rarely disappear and instead tend to expand into additional areas of life and commerce.
