The city council in Santa Fe, NM, scheduled a public hearing for March 8 on Mayor Javier Gonzales’ proposal to put a 2-cent-an-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages to generate money for early childhood education, says the New Mexican newspaper. The council agreed unanimously to call the public hearing after an advisory committee voted, 6-1, in favor of the soda tax.
“The tax is expected to bring in enough revenue to provide pre-kindergarten slots for more than 1,000 3- and 4-year-olds,” said the newspaper. Supporters of the pre-K programs said they will prepare youngsters for success in school and also encourage healthier diets. The Chamber of Commerce opposed the tax, as did a restaurant operator and a soda bottler.
If the City Council sets a special election on the tax and it is approved by voters, the pre-K program probably would begin operation in January 2018 at the earliest, said the mayor.
Voters in four cities approved soda taxes in referendums last November, followed by approval of a 1-cent tax by the Cook County Board, whose 5.2 million constituents include the city of Chicago. Berkeley, Calif, was the first city to approve a soda tax, in 2014. The Philadelphia City Council approved a 1.5-cent tax in June 2016 as a way to pay for pre-kindergarten for all children in the city.
For more on the nation’s soda-tax struggle, check out FERN’s piece from last fall.