Taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages are used to tax products that damage health and generate negative externalities to society. When well designed—with a focus on the right rate, structures, and base, and supported by complementary administrative measures—they constitute one of the most cost-effective ways to reducing consumption of unhealthy products and saving lives, and can also be used to raise revenue and achieve this quickly since the impact is immediate.
Trends in tobacco-attributable mortality are rising particularly rapidly in the Western Balkans: more than in other upper-middle income countries and the rest of Europe which has experienced significant declines in tobacco attributable mortality in recent decades. Equally, mortality attributable to diets high in sugar nearly doubled since 1990. Human capital challenges in the Western Balkans are a particular concern due to aging, emigration, as well as low labor participation and productivity, which has direct consequences on region’s low potential growth and slow convergence of incomes with the EU.
- OVERVIEW
- AGENDA
- SPEAKERS
A two-day conference on Health Tax Reforms – Challenges and Lessons Learned is held on June 24-25, 2024, in Vienna, Austria. The conference is jointly organized by the World Bank and the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies. The conference convenes senior officials on taxation and health policy, customs and tax administration as well as research community from the Western Balkans, in addition to the World Bank, European Commission, WHO, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and practitioners from EU candidate countries.
This event is designed to support and promote the recent health tax reforms and research that can inform addressing key challenges and opportunities in the field of preventing illicit trade and reforming health taxes to boost revenue, reduce mortality, morbidity and health spending, and facilitate networking and collaboration.
When: Jun 24-25, 2024
Where: Vienna, Praterstrasse 31
June 24, 2024
10:00 Opening remarks
Xiaoqing Yu, World Bank Country Director for the Western Balkans
Jo Birckmayer, Bloomberg Philanthropies
Mario Holzner, Director, Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies
10:30 Keynote 1: Tobacco Taxation in Europe in the global context
Jeff Drope, Research Professor, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
Keynote 2: Tobacco Taxation Trends: European Union Perspective
Gintare Milkamanaviciene, European Commission, Policy Officer, DG TAXUD
11:20 Panel 1: The political economy of tobacco taxation
Moderation: Olena Doroshenko, Senior Health Economist, World Bank
Aleksandra Nakjeva Ruzhin, Former Special Advisor to the Minister of Finance, North Macedonia
Bert Brys, Senior Tax Economist, OECD
Dr. Ion Salaru, Deputy Director of the National Public Health Agency, Moldova
Jarosław Neneman, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Finance, also University of Lodz, Poland
12:30 Lunch
14:00 Keynote 3: Alcohol and sugar sweeten beverages taxation in Europe
Norman Maldonado, Health Tax Economist, World Bank
14:30 Presentation 1: Modelling the impacts of tobacco tax increases on consumption, tax revenues and health outcomes in Montenegro – Dr. Mirjana Cizmovic, Institute for Socioeconomic Analysis, Montenegro
14:45 Presentation 2: Macroeconomic impact of tobacco taxation in Serbia – Dr. Jovan Zubovic, Institute of Economic Sciences, Serbia
15:00 Presentation 3: The impact of tax and price on youth smoking initiation – evidence from Albania – Dr. Elvina Merkaj, Development Solutions Associates, Albania
15:15 Discussion
15:45 Coffee break
16:15 Panel 2: Operative environment of health taxes
Moderator: Hana Ross, Professor, University of Cape Town
Agron Llugaliu, Customs General Director, Kosovo
Sava Laketić, Acting Director, Tax Administration, Montenegro
Nermin Koštrebić, Senior Inspector-Investigator in the Department for prevention and detection of financial crime and corruption, State Investigation and Protection Agency, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Vladimir Cebanenco, Head, Central Customs Office, Moldova
17:45 End of day 1 and reception
June 25, 2024
10:00 Presentation 4: The economics of tobacco farming in North Macedonia – Dr. Biljana Tashevska, Analytica, North Macedonia
10:15 Presentation 5: Addressing tobacco tax evasion in Montenegro – Dr. Ana Mugosa, Institute for Socio-Economic Analysis and Johns Hopkins University, Montenegro
10:30 Presentation 6: Measuring the economic costs of tobacco use – Evidence from Bosnia and Herzegovina – Dr. Dragan Gligoric, University of Banja Luka, BIH
10:45 Discussion
11:15 Coffee break
11:45 Keynote 4: Health impacts of alcohol and tobacco use on the working age population and youth, Michal Stoklosa, Economist, Fiscal Policies for Health, World Health Organization
12:15 Key takeaways: Richard Stern, Partner and Leader Tax Administration and Reform Services (Global), Ernst and Young
12:30 Closing remarks: Richard Record, Lead country economist for the Western Balkans, World Bank
Cigarette Tax Scorecard, 3rd Edition
Cigarette Tax Scorecard: Spotlight on Southeastern Europe
Date: June 24 - 25, 2024
Location: Vienna