International Journal of Health Policy and Management

International Journal of Health Policy and Management

International Comparison of Alcohol Taxes: A Step in the Right Direction; Comment on “Investigating Indicators to Assess and Support Alcohol Taxation Policy:Results From the International Alcohol Control (IAC) Study”

Articles in Press

Document Type : Commentary

Author
Aveek Bhattacharya
Independent Researcher, York, UK
Abstract
The International Alcohol Control (IAC) Study is part of a broader movement towards comparative cross-national alcohol tax datasets. However, alcohol remains behind tobacco in terms of comprehensive, reliable datasets. Casswell and colleagues’ analysis suggests that high-income countries may have more affordable alcohol despite theoretically better tax systems, demonstrating the importance of raising tax in line with income. They also raise interesting questions about the metrics we should track. While recognising the political potency (as well as risk) involved in constructing “league tables,” I suggest that affordability is a better measure than tax share of income. We should expect it to better track harm, and be more useful in guiding effective tax policy.
Keywords
Alcohol Pricing Policy
Taxation Methods
Tax/Price Share
Affordability
IAC Study
1.     World Health Organization (WHO). Global Report on the use of alcohol taxes. Geneva: WHO; 2026. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240118928.
2.     Drope J, Oo S, Guerrero-López C, et al. Economics for Health Alcohol Tax Scorecard. 1st ed. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; 2026.
3.     Casswell S, Parker K, Randerson S, et al. Investigating indicators to assess and support alcohol taxation policy: results from the International Alcohol Control (IAC) study. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2025;14:8551. doi:10.34172/ijhpm.8551
4.     Rabinovich L, Brutscher PB, de Vries H, et al. The Affordability of Alcoholic Beverages in the European Union. Cambridge, UK: RAND Europe; 2026. https://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR689.html.
5.     MPOWER. https://www.who.int/initiatives/mpower. Accessed August 13, 2026.
International Journal of Health Policy and Management

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 09 November 2026

  • Received Date 13 August 2026
  • Revised Date 12 October 2026
  • Accepted Date 15 October 2026
  • First Published Date 09 November 2026
  • Published Date 09 November 2026