Philippines health department pushes higher taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugary products
Dr Alexey Kulikov wrote on X that the Department of Health is seeking higher excise taxes, citing deaths from tobacco and alcohol and noncommunicable diseases' share of all deaths.
“Raising them further would protect both #health and revenue.”— Dr Alexey Kulikov
The Philippines' Department of Health is pushing for higher excise taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugary products, according to a post on X by Dr Alexey Kulikov.
Kulikov, whose profile describes him as a Technical Officer in the WHO Department of NCDs and mental health, wrote that seven in 10 deaths in the Philippines are now caused by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). He said the department cites more than 95,000 deaths a year from tobacco and about 27,000 from excessive alcohol use.
He also pointed to the country's Sin Tax Reform, writing that it has "already shown that health taxes cut consumption and help fund universal health care". In his view, raising the taxes further would protect both health and revenue.
The post was published on 11 November 2026 and links to further material. The figures and the assessment of the Sin Tax Reform's effects are as stated by Kulikov in the post.
Original source
“Raising them further would protect both #health and revenue.”
— Dr Alexey Kulikov View the post on X
