State Soda Tax Proposed to Raise Revenue, Lower Health Problems

A proposed tax on sugary beverages would generate an estimated $39 million for Contra Costa County and about $1.7 billion across California, according to proponents. About 85 percent of the tax revenue would go toward schools, which would spend it on programs for the health of school students, according to a news release issued by the California Center for Health Advocacy.

The center describes itself as a "nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to improving the health of Californians." The money would be spent by local schools for health education, school lunches and improvements to physical education, youth sports and after-school programs. As proposed, consumers would pay one cent per ounce of soda.

The proposal is currently a bill pending before the the state Assembly. It is due to be heard by the Revenue and Taxation Committee on Monday. It is aimed at reducing the growing problem of increased daily consumption of calories and cases of obesity.

"We cannot afford to sit back while the childhood obesity crisis overwhelms our healthcare system and shortens our children's lives," said the bill's sponsor, Assemblymember Bill Monnning (D—Carmel), the bill's sponsor, in a news release.

See the attached file for details on how much each county would receive and how the money would be spent.