Give Now  »

Indiana Public Media | WFIU - NPR | WTIU - PBS

Philly Soda Tax Campaign Finds Friend In Bloomberg

Soda

The proposed Philadelphia soda tax has a new proponent: former New York City mayor and longtime public health advocate Michael Bloomberg.

Earlier this year, Philly Mayor Jim Kenney proposed a tax of three cents per ounce of sugar-sweetened beverages to raise $400 million over the next five years for universal early childhood education funding and other community investments.

Bloomberg tried to ban sodas larger than 16 ounces in New York City during his time as mayor, but the State Court of Appeals ruled the ban unconstitutional.

But this week, Bloomberg pledged to back an $825,000 ad campaign through the nonprofit Philadelphians for a Fair Future, which supports Mayor Kenney's soda tax proposal.

So far, the American Beverage Association has spent more than $2.6 million on an ad campaign to stop the Philadelphia tax, calling it a "grocery tax" in television ads that portray the policy as a burden on low-income communities.

Since 2008, 40 sugary drink taxes have been rejected around the country, including two proposals by former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. The only exception is the Berkeley, Calif. tax passed in 2014, to which Bloomberg committed $657,000 – the largest donor of that campaign.

A recent Harvard study also shows support for the proposed Philly soda tax, saying it would make residents healthier.

"It is just a total winner of a policy from a public health perspective," said Harvard public health professor and lead analyst Steven Gortmaker. The analysis has not yet been peer-reviewed.

Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton also both weighed in on the tax while campaigning in Pennsylvania. Clinton expressed her support for the tax, while Sanders dismissed it as "regressive" – the same argument the beverage industry has made.

Three Philadelphia city council members have come out against the tax, and the remaining 14 have yet to declare their votes. The council could vote on the tax as early as June.

Read More:



  • Harvard study: Soda tax would make Phila. healthier (Philly.com)
  • Proposed Philly soda tax gets wide attention (Philly.com)
  • How Michael Bloomberg helped pass Berkeley's soda tax (Washington Post)


Support For Indiana Public Media Comes From

About Earth Eats

Harvest Public Media