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From August to November 2017, when the tax was in effect, the volume of soda sold in Cook County dropped 21% and the tax raised nearly $62 million, nearly $17 million of which went to a county health fund. "The evidence also shows that households will undertake tax avoidance strategies, such as cross-border shopping, which will dampen the impact of the tax," researchers said.
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“Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist at New York University Medical Center in New York City, said research has found a strong association between the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, kidney disease, tooth decay and gout.” Yes, if you drink two big gulps a day. But a couple of glasses causes no harm. I personally stopped drinking soda probably 20 years ago, I mean I have one every now and again, but I don’t keep it around the house. Studies show that half of americans drank soda every day. It seems like overkill to… Read more »
What was never studied or disclosed was how much sales tax revenue was lost when people cross border shopped. They didn’t just buy soda outside Cook County, they bought gasoline, groceries, cigarettes, etc., all at lower sales tax rates than Cook County’s. Sure, the soda tax brought in some revenue from those unable to shop outside Cook, but those who did brought a lot of revenue to border counties. My gut feeling is John Daley saw so much sales tax revenue slipping away that the soda tax couldn’t justify it.
Where’s their data showing reduced soda consumption because of the tax? This study seems more complete.
https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2020/02/you-cant-tax-people-out-of-their-sugary-drinks-opinion.html