Health Taxes in Practice: Design, Implementation, Impact

TARGET GROUP | Mid-career and senior officials from ministries of finance, tax and customs administrations, and, secondarily, ministries of health, public health agencies, and national parliaments, from Central, East and Southeast Europe, Central Asia and South Caucasus, whose responsibilities include advising policymakers on tax policy issues, administering taxes, and advancing public health.

QUALIFICATIONS | Participants are expected to have a degree in economics, public health, or a related field, experience in producing analytical reports and some familiarity with using spreadsheets, with at least five years of work experience, either in a government institution, or in a relevant private or non-governmental entity.

DESCRIPTION | This course aims to broaden participants’ knowledge of the main challenges governments face in designing, administering, and monitoring the effectiveness of health taxes. It outlines the theoretical underpinnings of health tax policymaking and discusses in detail its design and implementation with an emphasis on the JVI region. Participants are encouraged to share their experiences in developing strategies to improve their health tax systems and how they are implemented and administered. The course will consist of lectures, Q&A sessions and workshops, which will:

- Review global and regional trends in consumption of unhealthy products.

- Examine the costs (direct, medical, as well as indirect, economic and social) of unhealthy consumption and the rationale for health taxes.

- Introduce the key principles of effective tax design, administration and monitoring.

- Assess evidence on the fiscal, health and distributional effects of health taxes.

- Apply modelling tools to assess the potential effects of alternative tax scenarios.

- Examine emerging products and the need for policy adaptation.

OBJECTIVE | By the end of the course, participants will develop a multilayered understanding of the rationale, design, implementation, and implications of health taxes. By combining technical expertise with practical insights, this course will strengthen participants’ capacity to advance fiscal and public health objectives in their countries.

* The wiiw is a partner of the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use.

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Course Details

Start: 20270531May 31
End: 20270604Jun 04

Language: English

Sponsoring Organization: JVI/WIIW

Admin Arrangements


Application Deadline: February 28, 2027

Apply here