soda tax
AEI fellow proposes multi-state test of ban on buying soda with food stamps
In the name of improving public health, the government should set up a multi-state demonstration project that bans poor people from using food stamps to buy soda and other sweetened beverages that are blamed for contributing to the obesity epidemic, said an American Enterprise Institute official.
Soda tax clears two hurdles in Santa Fe, set for public hearing
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.
Foundation donates to Philly in fight against soda companies
The Laura and John Arnold Foundation donated $500,000 to the city of Philadelphia to fight the beverage industry, which sued after voters passed a soda tax last November, says Philadelphia Business Journal.
Lawsuit says Coca-Cola deceives consumers over sugary drinks
In "the opening shot of 2017," health advocates filed suit in federal court in Oakland, Calif., accusing Coca-Cola and the trade group American Beverage Association of deceiving consumers of the health risk of sugary drinks and saying there was no link between sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity, says Quartz. Coca-Cola said the lawsuit was "legally and factually meritless."
Soda tax rises again as Massachusetts statehouse issue
Energized by victories in four cities and Illinois' largest county, Massachusetts state Rep. Kay Khan says she will introduce a soda-tax bill when the legislature meets in January, says public broadcaster WBUR-FM. Khan championed the tax in the past but believes this time is different: "I think it does make a difference to see that others are thinking about this, and you're not standing out there alone."
Cook County gets 1-cent-per-ounce soda tax on a tie-breaking vote
The newest locality to approve a tax on sugary beverages is also the largest — Cook County, home to 5.2 million people including the city of Chicago. The Cook County Board approved the 1-cent-per-ounce tax on a 9-8 vote with board president Toni Preckwinkle breaking a tie, said the Chicago Tribune.
Perfect score: four cities pass soda-tax referendums
Three cities in California's Bay Area — San Francisco, Oakland and Albany — approved 1-cent-per-ounce soda taxes and Boulder, Colo., voted for a 2-cent levy on sugary beverages, marking large, landmark victories for public health campaigners against the beverage industry. Only two years ago, Berkeley, Calif., was the first city in the country to enact a soda tax.
WHO report backs soda taxes, subsidies for healthy foods
Taxes on sugary beverages are a tool for reducing obesity and chronic disease such as diabetes, says a WHO report that also advocates subsidies to encourage people to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Prevalence of obesity worldwide has doubled since 1980 and now includes more than half a billion adults, while 39 percent of adults are overweight.
Study: countries should tax all foods based on climate impact
As several cities in the U.S. prepare to vote on soda taxes, researchers say that taxing more of our foods based on their climate impact would do a lot to help the planet and our health, says The Guardian. A 40-percent surcharge on beef, for instance, would produce a 13-percent decline in consumption, according to the study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
Trade group will stop paying dietitians to oppose soda tax online
The American Beverage Association, a soda industry group, said it will suspend payments to health experts speaking against soda taxes on social media, said the Associated Press.
California soda tax campaign fizzes with $46 million in donations
The electoral tussles over 1-cent-per-ounce soda taxes in San Francisco and Oakland are becoming two of the most expensive campaigns in California this year with more than $46 million in donations, says public broadcaster KQED. The American Beverage Association has spent $28.7 million in fighting the taxes, said KQED, noting the nationwide ramification of referendums.
Civic Federation supports 1-cent soda tax for Chicago area
A good-government group, the Civic Federation of Chicago, backed the proposed 1-cent-an-ounce on sugary beverages for Cook County, the second-most populous county in the country and home to Chicago. The County Board will vote on the tax, part of a $44 billion budget for fiscal 2017, in mid-November, roughly a week after four cities vote on soda taxes.
Big Soda wants Bay Area voters to think soda tax is a grocery tax
In the San Francisco Bay Area, the beverage industry is spending millions to convince voters that the proposed soda tax will raise their grocery prices, not just the cost of sugary drinks, says Bridget Huber in FERN’s latest story, produced with PRI’s The World.
Soda industry spent $67 million fighting taxes, labels since 2009
The consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest says the two major U.S. soft-drink bottlers, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, and the trade group American Beverage Association "have spent a minimum of $67 million since 2009 to defeat soda taxes and warning labels in 19 cities and states." Four cities will vote on local soda taxes on Nov. 8, and there are published reports in Chicago that the president of the Cook County Board is looking at a tax on sugary beverages.
Philadelphia mayor says, ‘Don’t be afraid of Big Soda’
The grassroots can beat Big Soda, says Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney in an interview about the City Council vote during the summer to put a 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on soda and sugary beverages. "Don't be afraid of Big Soda. They are not that tough," Kenney told Vox.
Bernie Sanders takes a pop at soda-tax ads
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders told a soda industry group, in the form of a cease-and-desist letter, to stop using him in its campaign against soda taxes in California's Bay Area, says Politico. Sanders says he has not taken a position on referendums in San Francisco and Oakland and it is "false" and "misleading" for the American Beverage Association to feature him in advertising.
Soda tax is on the agenda in Illinois’ most populous county
The president of the Cook County Board proposed a 1-cent-per-ounce tax on sugary beverages — soft drinks, sports and energy drinks, and juices that aren't 100 percent fruit — to close a $174-million budget gap in the county that includes Chicago and 40 percent of Illinoisans. Like Philadelphia Mayor James Kenney, board president Toni Preckwinkle says the levy is fiscal tool.
Judge lets Boulder soda tax roll toward ballot
Advocates of a 2-cent per ounce tax on distributors of soda and other sugary drinks in Boulder, Colo., won a court verdict that clears the way for the proposal to appear on the Nov. 8 ballot, said the Daily Camera newspaper. Three California cites -- San Francisco, Oakland and Albany, all in the Bay Area -- have soda-tax referendums on their general election ballots.