Posted on 01/31/2018 1:30:37 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
While the rest of us were popping champagne to celebrate the arrival of 2018, Seattle greeted the New Year with a 1.75 cent per ounce tax on sweetened beverages. It was needed, former Mayor Ed Murray once said, for a host of noble reasons: to reduce sugar consumption; to raise revenue for important projects like a year of “free” community college for all graduating public high school students; and, to subsidize purchases of healthy foods by low-income families.
Before he resigned in disgrace over multiple allegations of personal misconduct, Murray considered the soda tax one of his greatest accomplishments, a “cutting edge piece of legislation,” with Seattle setting an example for the whole nation.
Seattle policymakers should have paid more attention to what happened in Cook County, Ill., which repealed its soda tax last year within two months after a tremendous public outcry. Let’s be clear. Soda taxes don’t make people healthier. They don’t raise revenue—they drive it outside city limits. They don’t help ease inequality—they make the poor poorer. Soda taxes don’t unite the city around some vague sense that everyone will be healthier—they unite diverse coalitions in opposition to them: Bernie Sanders and libertarians, labor unions, and businesses all come together to express strong opposition to these regressive, job-killing taxes.
Seattle’s soda tax is particularly burdensome. A case of Gatorade that cost $15.99 on December 31, 2017 now costs $26.33, an increase of more than 64 percent.
Fortunately, business managers and customers are not stupid; retailers like Costco have posted signs directing customers to locations outside city limits where shoppers can buy the product without paying the massive tax. Already, there is evidence that people are voting with their feet and buying drinks in the suburbs, depriving Seattle of the revenue it claims to need. The same thing happened to Philadelphia when it implemented a soda tax.
Seattle’s tax does not apply to sugary drinks that list milk as their primary ingredient, such as many flavored coffee beverages. To their credit, Starbucks rejected their hometown tax.
The west coast is often ground zero for politicians who pride themselves on social engineering. In fact, a study by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University released on January 3, 2018 revealed that three of the top five states with the most paternalistic laws are California, Oregon, and Washington. Nanny staters have looked to Seattle to fulfill their dream of running our lives. The people of the city need to speak up and end this nightmare.
They do the same here in WA - register their car in OR where it’s cheaper.
“Well, the trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, but that they know so much that isn’t so.”
—Ronald Reagan
Democrat majority government in WA; but then again, it’s for the kiddies so the poor ones won’t get all fat and stuff. Tax soda state wide will kill the soda industry then what?
This is nothing. California is considering labeling coffee as a carcinogen.
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3627379/posts
See #46 for my somewhat scientific response to this insanity
You forgot the jobs lost when the bottling plant shut down
Seems to me that a good-hearted person could go into the poor neighborhoods and take orders for sodas and bring it back without the tax attached.
Waitress was telling us at lunch yesterday that her in-laws live in Philly, every time they come across the Delaware for a visit in south Jersey they stop on the way home to stock up on coke and seven-up to beat the outlandish Philly soda tax that almost doubles the cost of sweet drinks by the bottle - sure helps commerce in the big city....
But we'll see.
What’s going to be taxed on that carbon tax thing?
I think I’d be buying me a Soda Stream
machine, and adding as much sugar as I
wanted. They’ll be taxing anything
with sugar as an ingredient. Donuts...
the cops are gonna be pissed...
All carbon based energy sources.
A gallon of gasoline will increase 20-30 cents/gallon, to include diesel.
Increasing the cost of fuels will make goods and services cost more, (trucks and trains deliver our goods).Coal electricity providers, (and there are several in Washington), will raise their rates, (to offset the "carbon tax" on them).
Washington natural gas will raise their rates, (same reason).
Their will be no winners except for more tax revenue going to Olympia.
As usual, the middle-class and poor will suffer the most with added costs that are already high.
And, of course, it will do absolutely NOTHING to save the Erf.
Our state is starting to resemble California.
If you get a chance to tune-in.
Yeah, and when the state collapses they’ll try to blame Republicans; problem is, there’s no Republicans to blame. Things will come to a grinding halt. Those that live near the OR border will do okay though. I believe though that should gas hit $4-5/gal there will be some upset folks. It’s running around $3.79/gal about now.
Yeah, my folks listen to them.
Wow.
They outdid our insane government figureheads here in Jerry’s H.O.A Paradise.
Thanks Tolerance Sucks Rocks.
Seattle greeted the New Year with a 1.75 cent per ounce tax on sweetened beverages. It was needed, former Mayor Ed Murray once said, for a host of noble reasons... Before he resigned in disgrace over multiple allegations of personal misconduct, Murray considered the soda tax one of his greatest accomplishments, a “cutting edge piece of legislation,” with Seattle setting an example for the whole nation.
The alternative was, cut the ****ing budget, but noooooo.
"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule." - H. L. Mencken
(correct, apart from that "almost".
Recreational MJ is already legal in the state and is taxed. Cheap gram = $5-$6.
I just registered in WA. You can count on my vote.
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