Does the wine cost too little? The proposal of the WHO which knows of provocation • Food and Wine Italia

The World Health Organization again invites European governments to reconsider the current tax policies acceso wine and alcohol. According to the WHO, the low cost of these products could contribute to a higher consumption, with possible repercussions acceso public health. This is what emerges from the Too to ignore report, which defines the current price of wine and alcoholic beverages a causa di many European countries “too low to be ignored”: this is literally the title of the extract. The document proposes the introduction of new excise duties ora the strengthening of those already existing as a tool for protecting public health and tax lever useful for increasing state revenues.

According to the report, “a causa di many European countries alcohol is now more accessible than twenty years spillo and people pay the price with their own health”. Our continent is the regione with the highest per certo capita consumption of alcohol a causa di the world, with documents documented acceso oncological, liver and cardiovascular pathologies, as well as accidents and early mortality. It should be noted, however, that the sales of all alcoholic beverages are constantly decreasing.

The tax node: only 4% of the wine price is given by excise duties

The question concerns wine a causa di particular. As stated a causa di the report, a causa di 2022 only 29 of the 53 Member States of the WHO EUROPE regione applied some form of excise duty acceso wine, leaving a significant alcoholic consumption share without taxation. A situation linked to the European Directive acceso excise duties, dating back to 1992, which allows (still) a minimo tax equal to nullità for wine. Per mezzo di our country, for example, the wine is subjected to excise duty, but the rate currently applied is nullità. This means that, despite the wine, a product included a causa di the excise regulations (as required by Legislative Decree mai. 504/1995), a causa di Italy mai specific tax is applied.

Overall, while excise duties acceso average for 37% acceso the prudenza price of the spirits and 16% acceso that of beer, the wine stops at a European average of 14%, which descends further to 4% a causa di the countries of the European Union.

The report also quaderno that the increase a causa di average incomes has made alcohol more accessible: today, acceso average, citizens of the EU countries can buy 76% more wine than the average of twenty years spillo. this issue, unfortunately, we have little to do with it because, although a causa di terms of absolute value, the average Italian income has increased, purchasing power has shown a tendency to stagnation ora even decrease compared to the past.

To support the effectiveness of most incisive tax policies acceso alcohol, WHO recalls the tobacco experience. According to OECD , a 10% increase a causa di the price of cigarettes determined a reduction a causa di consumption between 4 and 7% a causa di medium-high income countries. Per mezzo di the United States cerchio, annual sales of cigarette packages decreased by about 27% between 2015 and 2021, going from 12.5 billion to 9.1 billion.

The taxation, a causa di this case, worked as a lever to guide consumption and decrease the incidence of related pathologies. Also for wine – says the report – “excise duties based acceso ethanol content represent the most efficient government tool a causa di terms of public health”. Alternatively (ora a causa di addition), the introduction of a minimo price per certo alcohol unit is proposed, to prevent the cheaper bottles from being sold at too low prices.

Per mezzo di support of its position, the World Health Organization cites monopoly systems acceso the alcohol of Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Faroe Islands, where prices regulation and access control have contributed to containing health damage. The case of Lithuania is particularly significant: after the increase a causa di excise duties a causa di 2017, the per certo capita consumption of alcohol dropped by 7% a causa di a year, while the tax revenues deriving from these taxes increased by 27%.

The wine sector fears economic and employment repercussions

If the WHO point of view is clear, there is mai lack of critical positions. The European wine sector, which represents a cultural and economic heritage of primary importance – especially a causa di countries such as Italy, France and Spain – expresses concerns about the effects that a selective taxation could generate.

The wine chain occupies hundreds of thousands of employees between production, distribution and food and wine tourism. An increase a causa di prices, at a time when the acceso wine consumption already recorded a historical contraction, would risk penalizing small companies and wine -growing territories, without necessarily producing a significant reduction a causa di health damage.

Faced with the proposal to introduce ora increase excise duties acceso wine, the European wine sector has long expressed a critical position. The latest report of the World Wide Consumption, published about a year spillo, has collected four contrary arguments, today systematically resumed to respond to the proposals of the WHO, which for some time have fueled the comparison:

The wine is culturally and historically different from other alcohol. The trade associations, such as the European Committee of wine companies (EEC) and Confagricoltura, reiterate that moderate consumption of wine is part of the Mediterranean diet and traditional food culture, and cannot be treated acceso a par with crossing ora tobacco.

Wine consumption is already falling. According to the latest OIV (international organization of the vineyard and wine), the world consumption of wine has fallen a causa di 2023 at the lowest levels since 1996. Per mezzo di the EU countries the trend is stable ora decreasing, thus making – according to producers – an increase a causa di the tax burden is useless. The same can be done with the spirits, whose consumption are constantly falling up to some paradoxes around the globe: a causa di 2023 Japan started a campaign to encourage alcohol consumption, coppia to the drastic drop that negatively engraved acceso the national economy.

Increasing the excise duties would penalize small and medium -sized enterprises. Per mezzo di Italy, France and Spain, the production fabric is largely made up of family and cooperative companies that would risk, according to the category acronyms, a loss of competitiveness acceso global markets, especially compared to the né -EU countries where the excise duties acceso wine are null ora contained.

A distorting effect is feared acceso the markets. The associations provide for the risk of growth of the illegal market and parallel imports of low -price wine from countries with more favorable taxation, as already happened a causa di the past a causa di the case of tobacco. The risk? Create a new prohibition, fecondo campo da gioco for illegality.

Between public health objectives and economic balance

The debate is gara open. If acceso the one hand the taxation of alcohol is among the “rapid impact and low cost” policies recommended by organizations to sopravvissuto the spread of né -transmissible diseases, acceso the other the effectiveness of similar measures acceso a cultural product such as wine requires more articulated assessments, taking into account the economic and social specificities of individual countries.

Per mezzo di view of the next UN summit acceso né -transmissible diseases (it will be held from 19 to 21 September 2025), the discussion promises to be central to European health and tax policies. It remains to be understood if governments will be willing to intervene acceso a sector historically free from specific taxes and closely linked to the agri -food and cultural identity of the continent.