Stakeholders Seek Stronger Health Taxes to Curb NCDs, Boost Healthcare Funding

Healthcare experts have urged the implementation of more stringent taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) to tackle the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and bolster health financing in Nigeria. At a workshop held in Abuja, stakeholders including policymakers, legislators, civil society organizations and researchers discussed the need for effective laws, policies, implementation and enforcement to achieve the intended objectives of health taxation.

The Health Tax Task Team (HTTT), a multi-stakeholder mechanism, was officially inaugurated at the event to sustain coordination and action on priority health-tax reforms. Nigeria, like many other countries, is grappling with inadequate health financing and the financial burden of healthcare on households. The stakeholders acknowledged that while Nigeria has already introduced taxes on some of these products, gaps remain in tax rates, structures, implementation and enforcement.

They emphasized that taxes on tobacco, alcohol and SSBs can simultaneously discourage consumption of products associated with preventable diseases while generating additional domestic resources for healthcare. However, they noted that further progress in tax rates, structures, and effective implementation was crucial to maximizing the impact of health taxation.