Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is taking a new tack on the soda tax. Instead of promoting it as a public-health tool, Kenney asks the city council to approve a 3-cent-an-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages as a way to pay for universal pre-kindergarten for the city’s children, says the New York Times. “He says his soda tax could raise more than $400 million over five years, enough to fund not just universal preschool, but also renovations to local libraries, parks and recreation centers; ‘community schools’ that wrap social services with education; and cash for the troubled municipal pension program.”
“In other words,” says the Times, “this soda tax isn’t for the nanny state; it’s for the needy state.” A political consultant who helped pass a soda tax in Berkeley, Calif — the only successful soda-tax referendum — says Kenney’s approach could change the conversation on soda taxes to a budgetary issue, rather than a public-health campaign.
The beverage industry argues the Philadelphia tax would hurt poor people the most and may not be a reliable source of revenue since the tax could depress sales of the drinks being taxed. Opponents also say the tax could double the price of some products. The city council is expected to vote on the budget in May.