Philadelphia's new beverage tax imposes a 1.5 cent per ounce tax on sweetened beverages.
That's bad news for struggling SNAP folks who choose to buy such.
That's $2.16 per 12-pack or $1.01 per 2-liter.
More money from a limited budget that won't go toward nutritious food.
Sad!
Philadelphia's definition:
"What is taxed
The tax is not just on sodas. This tax is on any non-alcoholic beverage, syrup, or other concentrate used to prepare a beverage that lists as an ingredient any form of caloric sugar-based sweetener, including, but not limited to sucrose, glucose, or high fructose corn syrup.Drinks considered “diet” or “zero calorie” are also taxed. Specifically, this tax is on any non-alcoholic beverage, syrup or other concentrate used to prepare a beverage that lists any form of artificial sugar substitute, including stevia, aspartame, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), saccharin, and advantame."
"While concentrates or syrups are also taxed, their tax rate is based on the final beverage produced, not the raw syrup or concentrate."
"Examples of sweetened beverages
Soda (regular and diet); non-100%-fruit drinks; sports drinks; sweetened water; energy drinks; pre-sweetened coffee or tea; and non-alcoholic beverages intended to be mixed into an alcoholic drink."
