Posted on June 6, 2017 | Forbes by Nancy Fink Huehnergarth
The Seattle City Council, yesterday, approved a 1.75 cent-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks by a vote of 7-1. The tax is the eighth such measure passed in the United States since 2014. The tax, which covers sugary drinks like sodas, sports and energy drinks, fruit drinks and sweet teas, will be levied at the distributor level but is expected to be passed on to consumers. The tax will also likely reduce sales and consumption of non-nutritious sugary drinks, as has been demonstrated in Mexico (a 10% reduction in sales in 2015 due to a peso-per-liter tax) and Berkeley, CA (a 10% reduction in sales since the implementation of a penny-per-ounce tax.)