Soda tax again draws heat from Philly City Council

Philadelphia’s proposed sugary drinks tax again bubbled up for discussion today during a City Council budget hearing. Addressing the city’s health commissioner, City Council President Darrell Clarke said he doesn’t believe a tax on soda and other sugary drinks will generate enough money to support pre-K and other initiatives of the Kenney administration.

“If there are declining revenues, then we will ultimately get to the point where we will have to raise another tax to maintain particularly the level of service that you are proposing which is quite significant,” Clarke said.Councilman Al Taubenberger says he’s afraid people will travel outside the city to stock up on sugary drinks.”We don’t live on an island,” he said.  “People will actually go to Delaware County, to Montgomery County, to Bucks County, to Gloucester County to Kent County in Delaware to avoid this.”The debate continues with another round of public testimony later this week. City Council is expected to bring up the proposed tax before the end of June.