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[Guevara]

Perhaps lost in all the other election news, the city of Berkeley, CA passes the first (in the U.S.) tax on sugary drinks like soda and energy drinks. Other cities have tried and failed: notably New York and San Francisco.

Voters in the city approved a 1-cent-an-ounce tax on sugary sodas and energy drinks, according to unofficial results released by local officials.

That adds about 12 cents to the price of a can of soda and about 68 cents to a two liter bottle.

Across the bay in San Francisco, a similar measure didn't receive enough support to pass.

Results showed the Berkeley measure won 75% of the vote.

It was backed by a variety of groups from the Berkeley Dental Society to the local chapters of the NAACP and teachers union. The Berkeley City Council and school board also backed the measure.

"Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that consumption of sugary drinks causes widespread health problems, starting in childhood," advocates argued, pointing to links between the drinks and diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/05/news/economy/berkeley-soda-tax/

 

[Log4Girlz]

Should be 10 cents an ounce.

 

[Husker86]

If it's on sugary drinks, are diet sodas exempt?

 

[Skyzard]

How has no other state passed these laws?

Obviously tax that shit.


mwhaha no more free refills for USA /jealous brit

Hmm...it's just a city, interesting.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Good. Either way, it works outs perfectly: People drink less soda, or they continue to drink poison while Berkeley collects more revenue.

 

[Guevara]

How has no other state passed these laws?

Obviously tax that shit.

Even San Francisco couldn't do it. And Bloomberg tried for years. The American Beverage Association is strong and fully mobilized against a tax, and some voters are opposed to taxes of any kind.

 

[TheWarrior]

Aspartame and Sucralose are going to be popular in Berkeley

 

[Envelope]

When's the revolution

No taxation without representation

 

[Cagey]

Should also be taxing coffee purchases, if we're going to take a more comprehensive view of impacting incentives via tax policy to remedy health problems due to drinking excess calories without a bias towards race/class/age.

 

[Abounder]

Didn't Mexico do something similar or was it a ban on soda?

There should be a tax on sugar consumption in general. Especially if it isn't cane sugar

 

[MiniBossBattle]

Soda & sugary drinks are a huge issue, especially when talking to Pediatricians. Diabetes, empty calories, and simply the amount consumed at young ages can create long term health issues.

 

[KrellRell]

Ridiculous. Taxation is not a solution, that's been proven with cigarettes. People will just spend more money they don't have.

 

[entremet]

If it's on sugary drinks, are diet sodas exempt?

From the website:

What’s covered by the tax?

Measure D focuses on the distribution of sugary soda, energy drinks, juice with added sugar, and syrups that go into sugary drinks at cafes like Starbucks (like Frappuccinos).

100% juice and drinks with milk as the first (primary) ingredient are exempt because of their nutritional value. These drinks are not the cause of the huge increase in sugary drink consumption, especially among children. Measure D is focused on high-sugar, low-nutrition drinks. Coconut water, contrary to the opposition’s insistence, is NOT taxed unless it has added sugar. Diet soda is exempt because it does not have added sugar, the subject of this tax. Alcohol is exempt because it is already taxed.

http://www.berkeleyvsbigsoda.com/faq

 

[slit]

If it's on sugary drinks, are diet sodas exempt?

It wouldn't be included since it has no sugar.

 

[Husker86]

Should also be taxing coffee purchases, if we're going to take a more comprehensive view of impacting incentives via tax policy to remedy health problems due to drinking excess calories without a bias towards race/class/age.

How many calories does coffee have?

 

[Guevara]

Aspartame and Sucralose are going to be popular in Berkeley

The tide is shifting on aspartame too. I just noticed this recently:

General Mills is actually advertising their yogurt is aspartame free.

 

[entremet]

Should also be taxing coffee purchases, if we're going to take a more comprehensive view of impacting incentives via tax policy to remedy health problems due to drinking excess calories without a bias towards race/class/age.

They're taxing Frappuncino like drinks.

 

[Cagey]

How many calories does coffee have?

Straight black coffee with no additives? None.

Coffee ordered by the vast, vast, vast majority of Americans? Enough.

 

[Deleted member 231381]

Ridiculous. Taxation is not a solution, that's been proven with cigarettes. People will just spend more money they don't have.

Proven with cigarettes? There's a fair amount of evidence to suggest that increases in cigarette taxes have a statistically significant effect on consumption.

 

[Gaz_RB]

Well Berkeley is an amazing place, so this doesn't surprise me.

 

[slit]

Should also be taxing coffee purchases, if we're going to take a more comprehensive view of impacting incentives via tax policy to remedy health problems due to drinking excess calories without a bias towards race/class/age.

Why would they tax coffee? It has no sugar unless you add it. Going by that they would have to tax everything that people add sugar too.

 

[old]

Adds 68 cents of tax to a 2-liter. That's more than a 50% raise in price.

At that point I would think they'd be better off buying the carbonated water and syrup separately, wouldn't it? They're not taxing carbonated water. Couldn't you just buy a bag of syrup and mix the two? I'm eager to see what crafty ways they come up with to get around this.

 

[entremet]

Ridiculous. Taxation is not a solution, that's been proven with cigarettes. People will just spend more money they don't have.

We're already having a huge obesity issue and are on track for a diabetes epidemic that will tax the Healthcare system like no other in the coming years.

Any measure to get people off sugary soda is a good thing.

 

[Alienous]

This is the best think to come out of Berkeley.

Spoiler

I thought they had smarter people than to think this will work.

So, how long until Coca-Cola fucks them up?

 

[Abounder]

Soda & sugary drinks are a huge issue, especially when talking to Pediatricians. Diabetes, empty calories, and simply the amount consumed at young ages can create long term health issues.

Yea this is another reason why I'm not a huge fan of Halloween...just sends all the wrong messages early in a person's life. There should be a trick or treat tax lol

 

[KrellRell]

Proven with cigarettes? There's a fair amount of evidence to suggest that increases in cigarette taxes have a statistically significant effect on consumption.

Can you source that?

This is what is really happening.
"You guys are making a lot of money selling unhealthy things to people? We want a cut of that too!"

It has nothing to do with consumption. Raising prices to discourage consumption is such a poor solution.

 

[Cagey]

They're taxing Frappuncino like drinks.

That's good to know. It wasn't clear in the article from my quick read. The failed version of the law that Bloomberg championed in NYC, if I recall, had exemptions for all sorts of drinks you'd buy at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. Easier to sell the campaign to reduce mindless worthless liquid caloric consumption to middle/upper class voters when it's based on how bad soda is, rather than the cream-and-sugar venti they were drinking while reading said article describing the campaign.

Why would they tax coffee? It has no sugar unless you add it. Going by that they would have to tax everything that people add sugar too.

Because unlike the two distinct products of a diet zero-calorie drink and a full-calorie drink, where you can make a useful legal distinction (tax calories, no tax no calories), coffee is a product that has its calories added to it. So you're right, at the most basic level: it has no sugar unless added. When the majority of consumers add sugar and cream/milk (the percentage of "black no sugar no cream/milk" daily coffee drinkers in the US, I would guess, is very very low), tax the drink as its actually being prepared and consumed: full of sugary nonsense.

While I find the aversion to such a tax reeking of "tax the poors, but not the stuff we consume" bullshit, I'm not raising the point merely from a contrarian spot. I wanted the NYC law to pass and I wanted it to include heavy taxation on Starbucks, DD and the like.

 

[Skyzard]

Ridiculous. Taxation is not a solution, that's been proven with cigarettes. People will just spend more money they don't have.

Soda drinks are an easier addiction to break or at least have less of.

They should also advertise why they are doing it and give recommended suggestions or perhaps put the tax money into purifying the water maybe.

 

[Dicer]

Ridiculous. Taxation is not a solution, that's been proven with cigarettes. People will just spend more money they don't have.

So much this, people are gonna drink it regardless...

 

[Slayven]

Yeah taxing will surely help

 

[KrellRell]

We're already having a huge obesity issue and are on track for a diabetes epidemic that will tax the Healthcare system like no other in the coming years.

Any measure to get people off sugary soda is a good thing.

I understand that, but 68 cents added to the price is a 2L isn't going to stop people from drinking it. It's just going to cost them more to do it. People make decision based on what they want to do, costs being a factor, but not necessarily a deciding factor. This is evident through the average household debt.

 

[titiklabingapat]

1 cent per ounce seems really low to make a dent. Perhaps 5 cents per ounce? What's 16 cents more for a medium drink?

 

[Iadien]

People are going to start drinking diet instead, good job.

 

[slit]

So much this, people are gonna drink it regardless...

Yeah they will, but it gives the people something that has no substance to crow about. Which is all this is.

 

[Shake Appeal]

1 cent per ounce seems really low to make a dent. Perhaps 5 cents per ounce? What's 16 cents more for a medium drink?

Uh, tyranny?!

 

[entremet]

Yeah taxing will surely help

Worked with cigarettes, along with a massive public health campaign.

Cigarette smoking is the lowest it has ever been in the States.

 

[Somnid]

Ridiculous. Taxation is not a solution, that's been proven with cigarettes. People will just spend more money they don't have.

Pretty much. Sugar is addictive you don't eliminate it like that. You basically get poor fat people spending more money on crap.

As for money, I think nebulous uses of public funds are not overly helpful as it'll likely be siphoned off somewhere. You need to have a specific and measurable goal.

 

[dr3upmushroom]

How has no other state passed these laws?

Obviously tax that shit.


mwhaha no more free refills for USA /jealous brit

Hmm...it's just a city, interesting.

Don't need no gawd dayum liberal government telling me how much soda to drink.

 

[notworksafe]

Awesome way for nose-upturned liberal voters to feel great and governments to make more money while actual soda purchasers don't change their habits.

Good job everyone!

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Proven with cigarettes? There's a fair amount of evidence to suggest that increases in cigarette taxes have a statistically significant effect on consumption.

That's what I thought.

Surely smoking is way down in popularity compared to where it was decades ago, no? It certainly seems like that from my own experience.

 

[jamesinclair]

Even San Francisco couldn't do it. And Bloomberg tried for years. The American Beverage Association is strong and fully mobilized against a tax, and some voters are opposed to taxes of any kind.

Not quite, it passed by an overwhelming amount.

Just not 2/3

 

[The Albatross]

Poor taxes justified by morality taxes.

 

[braves01]

Hopefully that tax money is going straight into some good health and wellness program.

 

[PhoenixDawn]

So now Berkeley is going to have shitty substitute sugars in all of their drinks instead of the real thing. I mean, it's a good start with the tax but it's just going to encourage people to buy diet drinks which aren't even that much better for you, if at all..

 

[Alienous]

That's what I thought.

Surely smoking is way down in popularity then it was decades ago, no? It certainly seems like that from my own experience.

I thought that was to do with all of the lung cancer. I had no idea that a moderate raise in price helps someone combat their own addictions.

 

[El Topo]

So now Berkeley is going to have shitty substitute sugars in all of their drinks instead of the real thing. I mean, it's a good start with the tax but it's just going to encourage people to buy diet drinks which aren't even that much better for you, if at all..

Some studies indicate they might be worse actually.

 

[entremet]

Why are posters saying taxing won't work?

Tobacco is a clear case study. It took a long time and also tons of public health messages, but saying its not effective is naive.

 

[Trojita]

Suddenly everything aspartame.

 

[dr3upmushroom]

Awesome way for nose-upturned liberal voters to feel great and governments to make more money while actual soda purchasers don't change their habits.

Good job everyone!

Meh, seems silmiar to a "Vice tax", I'm an on and off smoker, but I don't really complain when they raise the tax on them. It's not something I need, and does help curb my purchases. I recognize that that is not the case for a lot of people, and can even be seen as a classist approach to the issue since it's the working/poorest sector of society that is addicted to such things do to societal issues. But one thing I don't want happening is raised taxes on beer.

 

[clav]

So now Berkeley is going to have shitty substitute sugars in all of their drinks instead of the real thing. I mean, it's a good start with the tax but it's just going to encourage people to buy diet drinks which aren't even that much better for you, if at all..

Baby steps.

You shouldn't drink soda at all unless you like seeing your dentist. You're going to make your dentist very happy.