Soda taxes aren’t just annoying, they don’t curb obesity

Following the repeal of Cook County's soda tax in 2017 — the deep and enduring unpopularity of Philadelphia's soda tax and numerous studies showing their lack of effectiveness in reducing obesity — one could be forgiven for thinking this policy was as dead as Michael Bloomberg's presidential ambitions.

It is time to stop the vicious cycle of ever-rising taxes

Imagine you are retired, living on fixed income, forced to move out of Connecticut due to steeply rising property taxes. Imagine you are an insurance employee, laid off because soaring corporate taxes drove your company away. Imagine you are an anxious homeowner, afflicted by plummeting property values caused by population outflow.

Was Philadelphia’s Soda Tax the Result of a Union-Versus-Union Political Fight?

Officially, Philadelphia's much loathed soda tax—the highest such tax in the country—was approved as a way to generate revenue for the city's new pre-K program. Unofficially, like all vice taxes, it was intended to reduce Philadelphians' consumption of sugary beverages—though it has mostly just changed where people buy soda and hasn't improved public health at all.

Philadelphia council introduces bill to phase out soda tax

A bill introduced by City Councilwoman María Quiñones-Sánchez at a City Council meeting on Thursday would gradually phase out a portion of the tax on sweetened beverages through 2021. The bill lacks specific numbers, so it could phase out the tax entirely or just reduce it.

Soda taxes aren’t just annoying, they don’t curb obesity

Following the repeal of Cook County's soda tax in 2017 — the deep and enduring unpopularity of Philadelphia's soda tax and numerous studies showing their lack of effectiveness in reducing obesity — one could be forgiven for thinking this policy was as dead as Michael Bloomberg's presidential ambitions.

It is time to stop the vicious cycle of ever-rising taxes

Imagine you are retired, living on fixed income, forced to move out of Connecticut due to steeply rising property taxes. Imagine you are an insurance employee, laid off because soaring corporate taxes drove your company away. Imagine you are an anxious homeowner, afflicted by plummeting property values caused by population outflow.

Was Philadelphia’s Soda Tax the Result of a Union-Versus-Union Political Fight?

Officially, Philadelphia's much loathed soda tax—the highest such tax in the country—was approved as a way to generate revenue for the city's new pre-K program. Unofficially, like all vice taxes, it was intended to reduce Philadelphians' consumption of sugary beverages—though it has mostly just changed where people buy soda and hasn't improved public health at all.

Philadelphia council introduces bill to phase out soda tax

A bill introduced by City Councilwoman María Quiñones-Sánchez at a City Council meeting on Thursday would gradually phase out a portion of the tax on sweetened beverages through 2021. The bill lacks specific numbers, so it could phase out the tax entirely or just reduce it.

Soda taxes aren’t just annoying, they don’t curb obesity

Following the repeal of Cook County's soda tax in 2017 — the deep and enduring unpopularity of Philadelphia's soda tax and numerous studies showing their lack of effectiveness in reducing obesity — one could be forgiven for thinking this policy was as dead as Michael Bloomberg's presidential ambitions.

It is time to stop the vicious cycle of ever-rising taxes

Imagine you are retired, living on fixed income, forced to move out of Connecticut due to steeply rising property taxes. Imagine you are an insurance employee, laid off because soaring corporate taxes drove your company away. Imagine you are an anxious homeowner, afflicted by plummeting property values caused by population outflow.

Was Philadelphia’s Soda Tax the Result of a Union-Versus-Union Political Fight?

Officially, Philadelphia's much loathed soda tax—the highest such tax in the country—was approved as a way to generate revenue for the city's new pre-K program. Unofficially, like all vice taxes, it was intended to reduce Philadelphians' consumption of sugary beverages—though it has mostly just changed where people buy soda and hasn't improved public health at all.

Philadelphia council introduces bill to phase out soda tax

A bill introduced by City Councilwoman María Quiñones-Sánchez at a City Council meeting on Thursday would gradually phase out a portion of the tax on sweetened beverages through 2021. The bill lacks specific numbers, so it could phase out the tax entirely or just reduce it.