Domestic Public Resources

Financing the Pathway Towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC): Improving Health Sector Priority Setting

This brief argues that taxation policies on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks present a timely and effective strategy for advancing sustainable development while improving public health and well-being. Health taxes not only generate government revenue through higher tax rates but also promote healthier behaviors, leading to improved health outcomes and productivity gains that benefit society as a whole.

Financing for Sustainable Progress to Universal Health Coverage

This brief offers a global overview of health spending and highlights the critical role of health expenditure data in shaping policies to achieve the SDG health targets. It calls on countries and global partners to strengthen health expenditure tracking via health accounts to improve policymaking, enhance transparency, and promote accountability.

This brief highlights the importance of financing social protection to achieve multiple SDGs and realized the right to social protection. It outlines key solutions for financing social protection systems, emphasizing the need to prioritize social protection spending within government budgets and better coordinate and increase international financial support. It provides actionable recommendations, including enhanced spending, progressive and effective taxation, and global financial mechanisms to address persistent coverage gaps and ensure adequate social protection for all.

By grounding policy decisions in solid evidence, countries can better navigate the complexities of tax reforms and ensure that their strategies effectively support the financing of the SDGs. Administrative data and ex-ante policy modelling, such as tax-benefit microsimulation modelling, are indispensable in providing a full picture to policymakers.