Monica Potts on the soda tax:
There’s one thing on which nearly everyone can agree: The overconsumption of soda and sugar-sweetened drinks is harmful to our health, especially for kids. That’s why New York state’s budget measure to tax those drinks is a win for public health.
Gov. David Paterson of New York dropped a similar proposal last year after the bill garnered little support among lawmakers and received a lot of pushback from the beverage industry. This year, a new and improved effort that is part of Paterson’s upcoming budget has a better shot. Still, many state senators, and some unions, oppose the tax. They say that touting it as a measure to curb obesity is just an excuse to tax. “This year, my rule is I’m not voting for any new taxes. None at all, at any time,” state Sen. Joseph Robach told News 10 in New York.
