Can Health Taxes Save Us from Ourselves? Assessing a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) Tax as an Anti-Obesity Policy in Thailand

Thiboonboon, Kittiphong

Can Health Taxes Save Us from Ourselves? Assessing a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) Tax as an Anti-Obesity Policy in Thailand

Thiboonboon, Kittiphong

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Publication Type:: Thesis
Issue Date:: 2024

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Thiboonboon, Kittiphong
dc.date.accessioned	2024-10-04T04:06:33Z
dc.date.available	2024-10-04T04:06:33Z
dc.date.issued	2024
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/181185
dc.description	University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Health.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.description.abstract	Obesity has been on the rise in Thailand for the past three decades. This has prompted policymakers to counteract obesity by increasing taxation on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). The proposed tier-based tax rates on SSBs vary according to sugar content levels. The thesis evaluates the cost-effectiveness and equity impacts of the proposed SSB tax in Thailand through four studies. A systematic review identified methodological issues in current economic evaluations of SSB taxes, highlighting overestimated benefits due to compensation behaviours. Next, an analysis of Thai data revealed that socioeconomic inequality in obesity varied by gender, with obesity more common among men of higher socioeconomic status and women of lower socioeconomic status. A further study suggested that higher socioeconomic status individuals consume more SSBs and that frequent SSB consumers often exhibited other unhealthy behaviours. In the last study, the proposed SSB tax was found to be potentially cost-saving and could offer more health benefits to lower socioeconomic groups, but might impose a larger financial burden on them. There are concerns about industry reactions. In conclusion, the proposed SSB tax could be cost-effective and could improve health equity. Implementation should include monitoring systems and supportive measures to mitigate financial impacts on vulnerable populations.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.format	Thesis (PhD)
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US.UTF-8
dc.relation	https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/181185/1/thesis.pdf
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	The author owns the copyright in this thesis including all reproduction and reuse rights for the work. The work may not be altered without the permission of the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from this thesis.
dc.rights	© 2024 Kittiphong Thiboonboon
dc.rights	au.edu.uts.lib/cph
dc.title	Can Health Taxes Save Us from Ourselves? Assessing a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) Tax as an Anti-Obesity Policy in Thailand	en_US.UTF-8
dc.type	Thesis
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*

Abstract:

Obesity has been on the rise in Thailand for the past three decades. This has prompted policymakers to counteract obesity by increasing taxation on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). The proposed tier-based tax rates on SSBs vary according to sugar content levels. The thesis evaluates the cost-effectiveness and equity impacts of the proposed SSB tax in Thailand through four studies. A systematic review identified methodological issues in current economic evaluations of SSB taxes, highlighting overestimated benefits due to compensation behaviours. Next, an analysis of Thai data revealed that socioeconomic inequality in obesity varied by gender, with obesity more common among men of higher socioeconomic status and women of lower socioeconomic status. A further study suggested that higher socioeconomic status individuals consume more SSBs and that frequent SSB consumers often exhibited other unhealthy behaviours. In the last study, the proposed SSB tax was found to be potentially cost-saving and could offer more health benefits to lower socioeconomic groups, but might impose a larger financial burden on them. There are concerns about industry reactions. In conclusion, the proposed SSB tax could be cost-effective and could improve health equity. Implementation should include monitoring systems and supportive measures to mitigate financial impacts on vulnerable populations.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/181185