The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chicago soda tax may carry political price
Official hopes to balance budget, make city healthier.
When a local government leader cast the deciding vote on a pennyper-ounce soda tax, she said it would generate enough money to balance the county budget while making people in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs healthier.
But so far, the tax seems mostly to have created problems for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who until recently was so popular many considered her the only possible candidate who could unseat Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Opponents have filed lawsuits, a federal agency warned Illinois could lose millions in funding for food stamp benefits and store owners have complained of plummeting sales. There are signs angry residents could turn against Preckwinkle and other pro-tax commissioners who are seeking re-election next year.
“It feels like every time you turn around they have their hand in your pocket,” said Jim Taylor of Chicago, who paid $2.56 in new taxes for two 128-ounce plastic jugs of diet iced tea at a grocery store west of the city. “It’s ridiculous. They should all go.”
Now billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who tried unsuccessfully to ban giant sodas as mayor of New York, is trying to sway public opinion in Preckwinkle’s favor.
His super PAC started running TV and radio ads defending the tax as a way to reduce an what it called an “epidemic” of childhood obesity and other health conditions.
Last year, similar taxes were approved in cities including San Francisco; Oakland, Calif.; and Philadelphia.
Cook County, which includes Chicago, became the largest jurisdiction in the U.S. to enact the tax on sugary and artificially sweetened beverages when the board voted to approve it in November.
It applies not just to soda, but also to sports drinks, iced tea and lemonade, and comes on top of beverage taxes imposed by Illinois and Chicago.
Supporters said it would bring in an estimated $225 million annually.