CT Congresswoman Proposes Soda Tax Bill

A Connecticut congresswoman has proposed a tax of 1 cent for each teaspoon of sugar in drinks like soda, sweet tea and energy drinks.

The tax would apply to sugary drinks sold by a “manufacturer, producer or importer,” according to the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tax Act of 2014, also known as the SWEET Act.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn, introduced the bill Wednesday in an effort to curb obesity and diabetes. If passed, she intends to put the tax revenue toward programs for the prevention and treatment of obesity and diabetes, and research and nutrition education.

“Such diseases are responsible for an estimated $190 billion in annual health care costs, over 20 percent of which are paid by American taxpayers through Medicare and Medicaid,” according to a SWEET Act news release.

A 20-ounce bottle of Coke has more than 15 teaspoons of sugar, so the tax would earn about 15 cents per bottle. The tax also extends to all caloric sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup.

DeLauro had been making news recently with talk of her coming soda tax proposal. She released a video on June 5 expressing her support for soda tax policy.

“I am working on legislation right now to tax sugar-sweetened drinks like sodas in a way that reflects the serious damage they are doing to our health,” DeLauro said in the June video. “I hope to introduce legislation in a matter of weeks.”

See below for video.

“A matter of weeks” turned out to be eight weeks. The video was presented at the National Soda Summit in Washington D.C. DeLauro didn’t attend the summit, but she was a featured speaker at the soda summit in 2012. The gathering is held by The Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The center announced Wednesday it supports DeLauro’s bill.

”The SWEET Act represents a bold federal effort to counter the soda industry’s relentless and greedy marketing campaigns that promote tooth decay, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity,” said the center’s executive director Michael F. Jacobson in a statement.

At the start of the year, 34 states and D.C. had sales taxes on sugar-sweetened soda in grocery stores, and 39 states and D.C. had sales taxes on soda in vending machines, according to a report by Bridging the Gap, a research program for health topics.

BevNet named DeLauro among the ranks of soda tax legislation supporters such as former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, current New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and California State Sen. Bill Monning, D-Carmel.