Affordability of Alcoholic Beverages in the European Union

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

  • Carolin Kilian - , Professur für Behaviorale Epidemiologie, Technische Universität Dresden, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), University of Toronto (Autor:in)
  • Jakob Manthey - , Universität Hamburg, Universität Leipzig (Autor:in)
  • Maria Neufeld - (Autor:in)
  • Jürgen Rehm - , Professur für Behaviorale Epidemiologie, Technische Universität Dresden, Universität Hamburg, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), University of Toronto, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Autor:in)

Abstract

Background: From a public health perspective, alcohol taxation should be designed to reduce alcohol affordability and thus alcohol consumption and related harms. Objectives: In this brief report, we estimate alcohol affordability in European Union Member States and associated countries and investigate whether affordability is related to national alcohol excise duties. Method: Beverage-specific affordability for beer, wine, and spirits were estimated based on the number of standard drinks a household could purchase based on their median monthly disposable household income in 2020. To determine the pooled affordability of alcohol, the beverage-specific estimates were weighted by the share of the beverage-specific per capita consumption in total recorded consumption. Pearson and Spearman rank correlations were calculated to establish the association between alcohol affordability and alcohol excise duty rates. All data were retrieved from official sources. Results: On average, a European household can purchase 1,628 standard drinks of alcohol with its monthly income, with affordability being highest in Germany, Austria, France, and Luxembourg. The affordability of spirits, but not that of beer or wine, was inversely correlated with the beverage-specific excise duty rates. Conclusions: Alcohol is affordable in the Member States of the European Union and associated countries, and low levels of excise duties on beer and wine appear to be unrelated to their affordability. Alcohol taxes should be increased to effectively reduce the affordability of alcoholic beverages in order to lower the alcohol-related health burden in Europe.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Seiten (von - bis)63-66
Seitenumfang4
FachzeitschriftEuropean addiction research
Jahrgang29
Ausgabenummer1
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 1 Feb. 2023
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Externe IDs

PubMed 36244336

Schlagworte

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

Schlagwörter

  • Affordability, Alcohol policy, European Union, Regulation of alcohol, Taxation