Since Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has implicated the soda tax on January 1, 2017 he has gotten nothing but ridicule from the city of Philadelphia. When I first heard of this tax I said people will just go to surrounding counties to buy sugary drinks instead of buying them in Philadelphia. Sales of sugary drink are down by 55% in the city and increased 38% in the surrounding areas outside of Philadelphia.
The city of Philadelphia projected revenue from the soda tax has fallen short. Through the first 6 months of the tax being active $39 million of revenue has been generated. The city of Philadelphia was expected to generate $46 million. They have adjusted their monthly projection based on the prior months of revenue.
The Mayor’s office still believes in the soda tax will be a success. The question I would like to ask Mayor Kenney is since your projected revenue was lower those this affect the pre-K program funding?
A lot of people would like to see the tax eradicated once and for all. Will Jim Kenney ever give up on the Soda Tax?
Soda Tax Calculator
I personally do not drink soda or colas or ice tea with added sugar. You do not legislate morality or what YOU think is the right thing to do. In this country , the people should have FREEDOM OF CHOICE. In this mayor’s puny world , big daddy government knows what best for you. ” It’s for the children” clamors from the likes of Helen Gym. Little does she know, but this mayor is helping to divert the money to other areas of the operating budget of Philadelphia, areas like the D.R.O.P. program, where the politicians have to find billions of dollars to defray the high cost all city employees, elected, appointed, or civil service that isn’t “The Big Story on Action News” EVER! The next item I predict that will be pushed will be a surcharge on salt added to snack items, potato chips, etc. If the former mayor of NYC would like to see the result economically of this tax, come to South Philly markets, where sales have gone down, that means less hours worked or LOSS OF JOBS! Does this present mayor of Philadelphia lobby for Coca Cola, Pepsi, or Canada Dry to locate their headquarters here in Philadelphia? Why not? It means JOBS, TAX REVENUE sorely needed to pay your 2nd most heavily taxed city in the USA, behind Bridgeport, CT!