Nanny staters are never content unless they impose their control freakishness on EVERYONE, apparently.
Former New York City Mayor Bloomberg has meddled in several other states and municipalities endeavoring to pass soda bans (or coke bans, as we say in Texas where every carbonated beverage is a Coke of some kind).
His latest project is Philadelphia. Bloomberg has donated an undisclosed amount of cash to Philadelphians for a Fair Future, a non-profit org dropping a whopping $825,000 into a sugary-drink tax campaign that launched Thursday.
Julia Terruso reported for Philly.com:
The ad campaign was also being supported with funds donated by the Action Now Initiative, a nonprofit focused on antiobesity and education issues funded by Houston billionaire couple John and Laura Arnold.”It’s wonderful to have the support of a nationally respected business leader,” Kenney said in a statement, referring to Bloomberg. “I’m hopeful these ads will correct the misinformation that the soda industry is spending millions to spread.”Feeley said the money from Bloomberg and the Arnolds’ nonprofit offers a chance to “balance the scales.””What it provides us is the ability to compete,” he said. “We understand the reality of what’s happening on the other side. The other side has almost unlimited financial resources.”The American Beverage Association has already spent more than $2.5 million on an anti-soda tax advertising campaign, dubbing the levy on sugary drinks a “grocery tax.”Feeley said the pro-tax ads to start this week are only a first step.”We’re prepared to do more as we need to do more,” Feeley said….Philadelphia’s health commissioner, Thomas Farley, headed New York’s health department under Bloomberg.
Rather than preach about that ills of Big Gulps, Philly is has pulled out their For The Children™ card. Supposedly, sugary-drink tax dollars would be spent on pre-K programs and upgrades to parks and community centers.
Interestingly, Democratic Socialist Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders thinks the proposed tax will disproportionately affect the poor.
In other locals, soda taxes haven’t deterred sugary-beverage consumption. Take Mexico. A 10% tax (approximately) was imposed on sodas and after an initial drop in consumption, consumers spending bounced back.
You cannot tax people into or out of certain behaviors. Something about that whole “free will” thing.
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