IARD Members are committed to reducing harmful drinking and to contributing to the community in which they work, including through contributions to local and national economies through taxation.
The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking and its member companies believe that:
Any taxation of alcohol beverages should be part of a comprehensive fiscal and regulatory framework. Taxation should be proportionate, appropriate for each local context, and consistent with World Trade Organization principles. Taxation should neither create market distortions nor exacerbate issues of harmful consumption.
Peer-reviewed studies have shown that the effects of increased taxation can vary across different types of drinkers [1-3]. Some scientific studies show the heaviest drinkers, including heavy episodic drinkers, are the least sensitive to pricing policies [4-8]. Disproportionate taxation may penalize moderate drinkers and those with limited disposable income [1-3, 8-10].
Particularly in countries where a large share of the alcohol market is unrecorded, taxation of the regulated alcohol sector may not significantly reduce harmful drinking [11-18]. To be effective, a regulatory framework, which includes taxation, must be accompanied by interventions aimed specifically at harmful drinking [19]. High levels of taxation may lead to unintended consequences, including growth in the unrecorded and illegal markets [11-13, 20-24]. Other potential outcomes may include tax evasion and corruption, illicit trade, and a resulting loss, rather than an increase, in government revenue [13, 14, 19, 25-29].
References
1. Ayyagari, P., et al., Understanding the heterogeneity in price elasticities in the demand for alcohol for older individuals. Health Economics, 2011.
2. Manning, W., L. Blumberg, and L. Moulton, The demand for alcohol: The differential response to price. Journal of Health Economics, 1995. 14: p. 123-148.
3. Wagenaar, A.C., M.J. Salois, and K.A. Komro, Effects of beverage alcohol price and tax levels on drinking: A meta-analysis of 1003 estimates from 112 studies. Addiction, 2009. 104(2): p. 179-190.
4. Nelson, J.P., Does heavy drinking by adults respond to higher alcohol prices and taxes? A survey and assessment. Economic Analysis and Policy, 2013. 43(3): p. 265-291.
5. Nelson, J.P., Gender differences in alcohol demand: A systematic review of the role of prices and taxes. Health economics, 2014. 23(10): p. 1260-1280.
6. Nelson, J.P., Binge drinking and alcohol prices: A systematic review of age-related results from econometric studies, natural experiments and field studies. Health Economics Review, 2015. 5(6).
7. Byrnes, J., et al., Can harms associated with high-intensity drinking be reduced by increasing the price of alcohol? Drug Alcohol Rev, 2013. 32(1): p. 27-30.
8. O'May, F., et al., The families and friends of heavy drinkers: Caught in the cross-fire of policy change? Drug and Alcohol Review, 2017. 36(2): p. 192-199.
9. Kenkel, D.S., Drinking, driving and deterrence: The effectiveness and social costs of alternative
policies. Journal of Law and Economics, 1993. 36(2): p. 877-914.
10. Kenkel, D.S., New estimates of the optimal tax on alcohol. Economic Inquiry, 1996. 34(2): p. 296-
319.
11. Lachenmeier, D.W., B.J. Taylor, and J. Rehm, Alcohol under the radar: Do we have policy options
regarding unrecorded alcohol? International Journal of Drug Policy, 2011. 22(2): p. 153-160.
12. Gill, J., et al., Alcohol purchasing by ill heavy drinkers; cheap alcohol is no single commodity.
Public Health. 129(12): p. 1571-1578.
13. Karlsson, T. and E. Osterberg, Alcohol affordability and cross-border trade in alcohol. 2009,
Swedish National Institute of Public Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare: Helsinki.
p. 35.
14. Room, R., et al., What happened to alcohol consumption and problems in the Nordic countries
when alcohol taxes were decreased and borders opened? International Journal of Alcohol and
Drug Research, 2013. 2(1): p. 77-87.
15. Lang, K., et al., The composition of surrogate and illegal alcohol products in Estonia. Alcohol and
Alcoholism, 2006. 41(4): p. 446-50.
16. Lachenmeier, D.W., et al., Association between quality of cheap and unrecorded alcohol
products and public health consequences in Poland. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental
Research, 2009. 33: p. 1757 –1769.
17. Parna, K. and D.A. Leon, Surrogate alcohol drinking in Estonia. Alcoholism: Clinical and
Experimental Research, 2011. 35(8): p. 1454-1457.
18. Wei, S., et al., Comparison of patterns of use of unrecorded and recorded spirits: Survey of adult
drinkers in rural central China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public
Health, 2017. 14(10): p. 1099.
19. World Health Organization (WHO), Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. 2010,
Author: Geneva.
20. Nordlund, S. and E. Osterberg, Unrecorded alcohol consumption: Its economics and its effects on
alcohol control in the Nordic countries. Addiction, 2000. 95(Suppl 4): p. S551-S564.
21. Pärna, K., et al., A rapid situation assessment of the market for surrogate and illegal alcohols in
Tallinn, Estonia. International Journal of Public Health, 2007. 52: p. 402–410.
22. Stickley, A., et al., Alcohol poisoning in Russia and the countries in the European part of the
former Soviet Union, 1970-2002. European Journal of Public Health, 2007. 17: p. 444-449.
23. Lachenmeier, D.W., J. Rehm, and G. Gmel, Surrogate alcohol: What do we know and where do
we go? Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2007. 31(10): p. 1613-1624.
24. McKee, M., et al., The composition of surrogate alcohols consumed in Russia. Alcoholism: Clinical
and Experimental Research, 2005. 29(10): p. 1884-1888.
25. Makela, P., et al., Changes in volume of drinking after changes in alcohol taxes and travellers'
allowances: Results from a panel study. Addiction, 2008. 103(2): p. 181-191.
26. Rabinovich, L., et al., The affordability of alcoholic beverages in the European Union:
Understanding the link between alcohol affordability, consumption and harms. 2009, RAND
Corporation: Santa Monica, CA.
27. Alavaikko, M. and E. Österberg, The influence of economic interests on alcohol control policy: A
case study from Finland. Addiction, 2000. 95(Suppl. 4): p. S565-S579.
28. Andreasson, S., et al., Estimates of harm associated with changes in Swedish alcohol policy:
Results from past and present estimates. Addiction, 2006. 101(8): p. 1096-1105.
29. Nordlund, S., The influence of EU on alcohol policy in a non-EU country. Journal of Substance
Use, 2007. 12: p. 405-418.
© 2021 International Alliance for Responsible Drinking
IARD’s members and the members of its Partnership Council are a diverse group of organizations with a variety of viewpoints. They might not necessarily agree on all or any subjects. Any statements, findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed on this website do not reflect the policies or views of all IARD members or the organizations they represent, unless explicitly stated. However, all members agree on and support IARD’s mission of reducing the harmful use of alcohol.
The resources on this website are not intended as health advice to individuals about their drinking. People with specific questions about their drinking are encouraged to consult a healthcare professional. Together, they can determine what is best for that individual, based on individual risk factors, including family history, genetics, and lifestyle. For some people, the better choice may be to not drink at all.
