[On alcoholic beverage taxation in Spain].

OBJECTIVE: Review the price elasticity of alcoholic beverages to identify the characteristics we should take into account to make a tax policy proposal.

METHOD: Systematic review of articles in EBSCOhost that include in their abstract and title the words alcohol and elasticity and alcohol and tax, over the last 20 years in academic journals in English.

RESULTS: We found 11 references. Although price elasticity is quite similar across countries, it is heterogeneous with regard togender, age, consumption level and type of beverage. Ad-hoc policies proved ineffective due to the substitution effect, and regressive in their impact on populations with lower levels of income and consumption.

CONCLUSION: Tax policies should be applied to all alcoholic beverages based on their volume of alcohol and all measures, such as the minimum price per unit, should be complemented with other policies.