PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia’s third attempt to adopt a soda tax may finally succeed after the mayor pitched the idea as a plan to pay for pre-K, not a tax on obesity.
It’s an approach other cities may seek to copy. Philadelphia would become the first major U.S. city to have a soda tax.
Observers say Philadelphia may succeed where other cities and states have failed because people don’t like being told what to do. And using a tax criticized as harmful to poor communities who drink more soda as one that will help those same neighborhoods is a novel approach.
City council is expected to approve a 1.5 cent per ounce tax on sugary and diet beverages on June 16. Berkeley, California, is currently the only American city with a soda tax.
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