California Proposes Soda Tax to Defray Costs of Obesity and Dental Disease

California Sen. Bill Monning, D-Carmel, proposes a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks. KGO-TVreports that his controversial bill is currently on its way to the senate's Health Committee for discussion.

How much more expensive would a can of soda be if the tax goes into effect?

The price of each can of sweetened soda would increase by 12 cents.

Which types of beverages will this law affect?

As noted in SB-622, this tax affects all "bottled sweetened beverages" as well as concentrates if they contain more than 25 calories for every 12 ounces of content. Fruit and vegetable juices may also be affected when their natural fruit or vegetable content falls below 50 percent. Furthermore, this tax affects sports drinks, energy drinks and sweetened iced teas.

Which beverages are exempted?

Among the exemptions are concentrates of milk products and those containing "more than 50 percent natural fruit juice" or natural vegetables juice. A provision to exempt plant protein sources as a concentrate was taken out by lawmakers.

What happens to the money the state collects because of the California soda tax?

Monning proposes the creation of a "Children's Health Promotion Fund." The money may be spent on activities that prevent childhood obesity statewide. Examples include educational materials, policy making and public health campaigns. Some of the money would also benefit school nutrition programs, hiring of and training for physical education teachers and the construction of school facilities for recreational activities.

How did local soda tax proposals do in the past?

As noted by the Richmond Confidential, the Richmond city council in May 2012 voted 5-2 in favor of putting a soda tax proposal on the ballot. Council member Jeff Ritterman was instrumental in pushing this legislation. He intended to use the collected funds to "provide adequate sports fields and teams for our children as well as programs that fight against childhood obesity." The Contra Costa Times reported last November that 66.9 percent of voters rejected his soda tax.

Is there statewide voter approval for a one-cent soda tax?

The Bay Area News Group asserts that while only 40 percent of voters may actually support this tax, pollsters were successful in increasing this number to 68 percent when pointing out that the collected funds would benefit school nutrition programs. Health Day has a different set of poll numbers. Citing a Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll, this news outlet claims that about 58 percent of respondents oppose a soda tax.

What do critics say?

As noted by UT San Diego, critics of the soda tax state that there is no proof that collecting an additional tax will actually fight obesity. Claiming that this new tax will only serve to "send more money to Sacramento," critics remind Californians that an overconsumption of calories causes obesity, not sugary soft drinks.

Sylvia Cochran is a Los Angeles area resident with a firm finger on the pulse of California politics. Talk radio junkie, community volunteer and politically independent, she scrutinizes the good and the bad from both sides of the political aisle.

Source: Yahoo