Soda tax bubbles up lobbying in Philadelphia

Serious budget negotiations are getting heated

Soda tax fans and foes will be facing off in Philadelphia City Council Thursday. Mayor Nutter wants to impose a sugary drinks tax to help balance the budget. But a strong team of lobbyists against the proposal has been making the rounds of City Hall.

The beverage industry has joined with the Teamsters, and Mom and Pop shops across the city to defeat the proposal. They say the tax will hurt the working poor. But Mayor Nutter has sent out a call to local nonprofits that serve the poor to come out in support of the bill. Nutter says without the tax, the budget continues to have a deficit and city services will have to be cut.

“The bottom line is the package that came out of committee last week is not adequate, not enough for us to provide the high quality services that the city needs and manage our finances in any way that make sense.”

Nutter says the tax will have an added benefit of reducing sugar consumption by city residents. The current proposal would add nine cents to the cost of a twelve ounce soda can.