Following Tuesday’s elections, voters approved ballot measures in four U.S. cities to impose a soda tax
By NACS Online
“The trickle of soda taxes is becoming a stream,” reports the Wall Street Journal, with voters in three California cities, San Francisco, Oakland and Albany, and Boulder, Colorado, all approving a ballot measure that taxes sugary sweetened beverages.
The news source reports that the three California cities approved a penny-per-ounce levy on distributors of nonalcoholic drinks with caloric sweeteners, which affects everything from soft drinks to sports drinks, iced tea and energy drinks; while in Boulder, voters approved a two-cents-per-ounce tax.
Meanwhile, in Chicago’s Cook County, the board of commissioners is slated to vote today on a penny-per-ounce tax that also would include beverages with zero-calorie sweeteners like diet soda, notes the WSJ.
The American Beverage Association said it will continue working to cut calories from beverages: “We respect the decision of voters in these cities. Our energy remains squarely focused on reducing the sugar consumed from beverages—engaging with prominent public health and community organizations to change behavior,” the group said on Wednesday.
