Seattle Soda Tax Heads to Full City Council Vote

The new version eliminates diet beverages from the tax, but adds a 1.75 cents per ounce tax to sweetened drinks.

June 02, 2017

SEATTLE – Mayor Ed Murray’s soda tax legislation has been revised to kick out diet drinks before moving toward the final vote of the full city council, the Seattle Times reports. The council will likely vote on the measure on Monday.

The amended bill would add a 1.75 cents per ounce tax to sweetened beverages, which would be paid by distributors. The final proposal also exempts small manufacturers. Medium-sized manufacturers would have a reduced tax rate. The revisions will cost the city around $8 million in lost revenue.

The Martin Luther King County Labor Council and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce oppose the tax because it would hurt the local economy. The city said the tax revenue would go to healthful eating and education initiatives.

Early last month, Santa Fe voters rejected a city tax on soft drinks. Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s city tax on soda has had unexpected repercussions with Pepsi yanking 2-liters and 12-packs from store shelves in direct response to the tax.

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