Health

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders Have Joined the Soda Wars

April 22nd 2016

Presidential Candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have a major disagreement about soda, but its got nothing to do with Coke versus Pepsi.

Earlier this week, Former Secretary of State Clinton gave her support to Philadelphia's proposed soda tax, which would be used to pay for universal pre-school. Sanders says he supports universal pre-school, but considers the soda tax especially burdensome on the poor.

Mayor Jim Kenney's proposal to put a 3 cent per ounce tax on sugary drinks would be the highest tax of its kind in the country.

So, if you took a 12-pack of Coca-Cola, which makes for 144 fluid ounces, you could end up paying $4.32 in taxes.


Clinton is the first candidate to call for a tax on soda, according to The New York Times.

After her announcement in Philadelphia earlier this week, Sanders said he opposes the tax.

"The goal is absolutely right. We need universal childcare, we need we need after school activities, but I think the mechanism here is fairly regressive in that it will be increasing taxes on low income, working people," Sanders said in a video captured by NBC Philadelphia. "And at a time of record levels of income and wealth inequality, I think the goal has to be to ask the people on top to pay more in taxes."

Simply put, the soda tax is considered "regressive," because it's applied to everyone, no matter how much they make. Therefore, poorer people would end up putting a greater portion of their income toward the soda tax than richer people.

Here's what Twitter was saying about the soda tax:

Other countries like Mexico have a national soda tax. That country saw a decrease in the amount of lower-income soda drinkers by 12 percent one year after the tax was implemented, according to Bloomberg View. England has also has proposed a soda tax that is on track to become law, according to CNN.

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