“This issue is not caused by one drink,” Kass said, echoing arguments made by the soda industry when a California soda tax was proposed. “It’s about a much broader food landscape.”

Kass started as the Obama family’s personal chef before the presidency and was a keynote speaker on the first day of the national Childhood Obesity Conference in San Diego. He has come up with and supports many other viable alternatives of healthy eating that he believes will in fact have an impact on childhood obesity.

“The last thing our lawmakers should be doing is adding to the burden of businesses that are under pressure to provide good-paying jobs for hard-working families,” said Bill Dombrowski, President and CEO of the California Retailers Association.  “Implementing a discriminatory tax on beverages will drive customers away from our businesses, and will ultimately force store owners to cut jobs.”

There could not be a worse time to ask Californians to pay more for their groceries.  The Californians Against Food and Beverage Taxes coalition is urging lawmakers to stand up for families and oppose new, discriminatory taxes.

“Not only will higher taxes fail to make people healthier, they will jeopardize good-paying jobs and put further pressure on our struggling retailers,” said J.P. Sethi, Vice Chairman of the Neighborhood Market Association. “Californians can decide for themselves what to buy for their families and don’t need the government interfering in their decisions about what to eat or drink.  Lawmakers should focus on policies that promote job creation and protect families in these challenging economic times.”

New taxes don’t teach healthy lifestyles.  Placing a discriminatory tax on beverages will not change behaviors or teach children about a healthier lifestyle.  Parents and caretakers are responsible for helping children make smart decisions about diet, exercise and moderation.

“Singling out common grocery items like beverages for additional taxation unfairly places the state’s financial burden on the backs of hard-working families and is not the way for lawmakers to balance the budget,” said Bob Achermann, Executive Director of the California/Nevada Soft Drink Association and member of the Californians Against Food and Beverage Taxes coalition.  “Taxing juice drinks, sodas, teas, sports drinks and other beverages is a regressive policy that has the greatest impact on those who can least afford it – low- and middle-income families, elderly residents and those living on fixed incomes.  Consumers do not want any new taxes and store owners can’t afford them.”

The beverage industry is an important part of California’s economy.  Non-alcoholic beverage companies in California provide more than 22,000 good-paying jobs across our state and help to support many thousands more workers in restaurants, grocery stores and more that depend, in part, on beverage sales for their livelihood.

###

Californians Against Food and Beverage Taxes is a growing coalition of concerned citizens, families, businesses and community organizations who want to send a strong message to our elected officials that we reject any discriminatory tax proposals on common grocery items like beverages.  Businesses and individuals can join the more than 16,000 people who have already signed up by visiting www.nofoodandbevtaxca.com.

Read the full article here:
http://www.mantecabulletin.com/news/article/22825/

Read the full article here:
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/h/4432-california-soda-tax-is-a-budget-band-aid

Read the full article here:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/taxes/march_2011/32_favor_sin_taxes_on_soda_junk_food

Date: March 23, 2011

Citrus College Clarion

The Citrus College Clarion called on its readers to reject any new beverage taxes in the state, calling them “an inconvenience on the consumer (and a minor infringement on their rights) and an uncalled for stress upon industry.” In a March 23, 2011, editorial the author argued that taxes on sugar-sweetened drinks would drive more businesses out of the state.

Read the full article here: http://www.theclariononline.com/downing-a-soda-tax-would-leave-a-bad-taste-1.2520468

Date: Feb. 18, 2011

Mercury News

Jason Hoppin of the Santa Cruz Sentinel reports that California Assemblyman Bill Monning recently proposed a tax on soda and other sweetened beverages, which would generate a total of $1.7 billion annually for government spending. In addition, Hoppin states that “While alcohol taxes are widely levied, similar proposals on soda have recently cropped up in numerous cities and states with very limited success.” Many feel as though this tax is a “tool for social engineering”. J. Justin Wilson of the Center for Consumer Freedom affirms that “Taxes shouldn’t be … an instrument to penalize people for doing nothing wrong”.

Read the entire article here: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17425458?nclick_check=1

Date: Feb. 18, 2011

San Francisco Weekly

Joe Eskenazi from San Francisco Weekly reports that California Assemblyman Bill Monning pushes for a soda and sweetened beverage tax which would cost the daily consumer roughly $64 per year. Monning dubs his proposed tax an “uphill climb” as a two-thirds majority vote from the Assembly and Senate is unlikely. Eskenazi states “The tax, incidentally, wouldn’t officially be placed on you, the consumer. It would be paid by the soda distributor and then all but certainly passed along the chain of consumers to the stores — and, then, you. “

Read the full article here: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/02/soda_tax_will_it_fizz_out.php