NEW YORK – New York health officials are expected to make a "final push" for a statewide tax on sugar beverages this week, the New York Daily News reports.

City and state health commissioners met with Governor Paterson and doctors to discuss the soda tax. They plan to add a penny-per-ounce tax to drinks with added sugar that contain in excess of 10 calories per 8 ounces.

"It's time to get it done," State Health Commissioner Richard Daines. "We've talked about it, the evidence for health benefits is getting a lot stronger, and the need for the revenue this year is definitely there."

Daines said that he expects the legislature to pass the tax this year, setting an example for the rest of the country.

"This is one good thing we could do during a miserable year in Albany," Daines said.

Officials predict that adding that a 10 percent price hike on soda will reduce consumption by eight percent and generate up to $1 billion a year in revenue, money that would fund health care programs across the state.

"It's a triple play. We would reduce obesity, earn revenue to support health care and, in the long run, cut health care costs," Daines said.

A recent Quinnipiac survey found that New York voters back a soft drink sugar tax 76 percent to 22 percent.