Effectiveness of Alcohol Tax Policy Intervention for Reducing Violent Mortality Rates in Russia

Background: Many experts believe that binge drinking of vodka is the main cause of the strikingly high mortality from external causes in Russia. Objectives: To assess the relationship between alcohol taxes and violent mortality rates in Russia from 2010 to 2015. Methods: Trends in the excise tax rates for vodka and violent mortality rates between 2010 and 2015 were compared. Results: Spearman’s correlation analysis suggests a statistically significant inverse relationship between excise tax rates for vodka and suicides, homicides, accidental drowning, mortality due to exposure to smoke, fire and flames and fatal falls. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest an inverse aggregate-level relationship between excise tax rates for vodka and violent mortality rates in Russia. Given this evidence, raising excise tax rates for vodka appears to be an effective policy to reduce violent mortality rates in Russia.