Most people know that alcohol and junk food are bad for their health. What many people don't realize, however, is that the consumption of alcohol and junk food also imposes a high financial cost on society.
In an effort to improve public health and public finances, experts in Europe have proposed significantly increasing taxes on alcohol and junk food, according to the Guardian.
The policy's proponents argue that higher taxes would disincentivize the consumption of unhealthy products while also raising funds to address the costs such consumption imposes on public spending, from healthcare to law enforcement.
A commission of experts from the European Association for the Study of the Liver put forward the proposal, which was published in The Lancet medical journal along with a detailed report on liver health in Europe.
The proposal urged European governments to "align taxation of alcohol and unhealthy foods to the economic burden they impose, including costs incurred by healthcare systems, law enforcement, the justice system, and social services," according to the Guardian.
Nearly 300,000 Europeans die each year from either liver cancer or cirrhosis of the liver, according to the report. That averages out to more than 700 deaths every day.
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"We urgently need policies that reflect the true harm caused by our unhealthy food and alcohol environment," said Pamela Healy, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, as quoted by the Guardian.
"This is not about creating a nanny state; it is about creating a level playing field," she added.
Despite the good intentions behind the proposal, the policy is not without its critics. Opponents have argued that the policy would increase prices for many moderate consumers of alcohol and unhealthy foods while failing to curb the behavior of those most at risk for serious health consequences.
The Portman Group, an organization that backs the alcohol industry, argued in favor of a more targeted approach aimed specifically at heavy users rather than a policy that they say would "penalize the moderate majority while doing little to help those drinking at the heaviest rates," in the words of Matt Lambert, the Portman Group's chief executive.
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