Taxes on unhealthy products like soft drinks alcohol and tobacco have the potential to produce major health gains among the poorest in society who are disproportionately affected by diseases such as cancer heart disease and diabetes researchers suggest. The study helps counter fears that such taxes will necessarily disproportionately harm the poor. In a series of five papers published in the The Lancet the researchers argued that taxes are a powerful response to rising rates of chronic diseases and an inescapable solution to tackling non-communicable diseases (NCDs) -- stroke heart disease diabetes lung disease and cancer. NCDs are responsible for