UN Health Tax Guidance Coming on Tobacco, Alcohol, Soda

The United Nations tax committee will finish drafting a health tax handbook by late next year to provide developing countries with guidance for levies on products including tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks, committee members said during their session Friday.

The handbook would provide a health tax design framework and could benefit developing countries where “there might be some initial enthusiasm for introducing a health tax but then nothing happens,” said Trude Steinnes Sonvisen, a committee member of the United Nations Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters who is from Norway and a drafter of the ...