San Francisco, Berkeley Voters to Decide on Soda Tax

Measures are on the November ballot in these two California cities.

October 07, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco and Berkeley, California, voters will see a tax on sugared drinks on the ballot this November ballot, the Associated Press reports. Over the years, more than a dozen other states, cities and localities, including California, have attempted to enact a so-called soda tax on sugary beverages.

In San Francisco, the proposal would affix a 2-cents-per-ounce tax on sugared drinks, which distributors would pay. The revenue would be earmarked for healthy eating and physical activity programs. In Berkeley, the measure would add a penny-per-ounce tax on sugared drinks, with the revenue funneled directly into the city’s general fund.

The American Beverage Association (ABA) has launched a campaign to stop these measures, spending $800,000 in Berkeley alone, said ABA spokesman Roger Salazar. The tax would disproportionately “impact … lower-income communities, punishing the very communities they purport to try to help,” he said in the AP report.

“It’s misguiding consumers to believe that that if we tax sodas, we’ll see a corresponding gain in health overall,” added Liz Applegate, director of sports nutrition at the University of California, Davis.

In late July, a Connecticut representative introduced a House bill that would create a national tax on sugared beverages, which would be paid by manufacturers.

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