US town to tax fizzy drinks and ‘fat’ coffees

VOTERS in California have approved the first US tax on fizzy drinks in a watershed moment for public health campaigners.

Residents of Berkeley, a leftwing university town, voted to put a premium on unhealthy beverages by the likes of CocaCola, as well as energy drinks and fat- laden coffees from chains such as Starbucks.

Campaigners said anything with extra sugar in it led to increased diabetes and obesity and should be discouraged. They called the battle their ‘Waterloo’ and launched a wellorganised campaign on social media and at grass-roots level to win 75 per cent of the vote.

The decision has sparked a debate in America where brands such as Coca-Cola have been marketed as part of the fabric of American life for decades.

The Berkeley tax rate is a penny per fluid ounce, meaning a typical can of fizzy drink, which has 12oz in it, will go up by 12 cents. In the US, most cans cost $1, meaning the tax will be the equivalent of 12 per cent.

Under the law, drinks distributors have to foot the bill, but they will almost certainly pass it on to consumers.

Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates said: ‘We’re saying no to big soda. We’re saying that Berkeley and the rest of the country need to pay attention that soda is such a destructive product.’

The drinks industry reportedly spent £ 1.5 million trying to defeat the measure.

Drinks industry spokesman Chris Gindlesperger said Berkeley ‘doesn’t look like mainstream America’ and warned other politicians not to follow in the town’s footsteps.