Hillary, Bernie throw down on soda tax

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have something else to quarrel about in the Democratic presidential campaign — the proposed soda tax in Philadelphia.

Clinton started it. She brought up Mayor Jim Kenney’s proposed 3 cents-an-ounce tax Wednesday in a discussion about creating opportunities for poor kids.

“I’m very supportive of the mayor’s proposal to tax soda to get universal preschool for kids,” Clinton said at St. Paul’s Baptist Church in North Philadelphia. “I mean, we need universal preschool, and if that’s a way to do it, that’s how we should do it.”

Sanders followed with a statement saying that while he supports quality preschool, he can’t support “a regressive tax on soda and juice drinks that will significantly increase taxes on low-income and middle-income Americans.”

Teamsters leader Daniel Grace and an anti-soda tax group called Philadelphians Against the Grocery Tax condemned Clinton’s statement.  Kenney called on Sanders to rethink his position.

The proposed tax is before City Council, which is expected to act some time this spring.