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us-diabetes

Via TheVerge:

The United States is currently the 42nd highest country for diabetes on a global scale. On Tuesday four US cities passed a soda tax.

  • Boulder, CO
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Oakland, CA
  • Albany, NY

Sugar-sweetened beverages have been linked to obesity and diabetes, and these new laws are intended to fight back against the rising tide of these diseases spreading across the world.

The penalties for sweetened drinks are not limited to just sodas. Energy drinks, sweetened tea and sports drinks that fit the criteria will all be taxed. Boulder, CO came up with the more significant taxation of $0.02 per ounce when exceeding 5g of sweetener per 12 oz can. That means a can of coke (39g of carbs @ 12 oz) would face a hefty penalty of $0.24 a can. The other three cities are using a $0.01 per oz penalty making the penalty tax for a can of cola $0.12.

The American Beverage Association is actively trying to prevent the measures from taking effect. I wonder how long it will be before sugary beverages are considered equivalent to smoking?