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Soda Tax May Be Part of Illinois Budget Package

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It's among new legislation that's meant to end the budget stalemate and bring in more tax dollars.

Just a few cities in the U.S., and Cook County have such a tax on the books. In past debates, opponents said a soda tax means a nanny state where the government tells people what's bad for them.
But, studies show the taxes have brought down sugary drink consumption by as much as 20 percent. That's a big win for anti-obesity and public health advocates. Jennifer Falbe, an author of one study on a tax in Berkeley, California, says the effect also has to do with how the revenue is spent.
 
"Two million dollars were raised by the tax, have been allocated by the local city government back into programs for promoting community health."
 
That may be one big distinction from the Illinois version. As the legislation stands, revenue from the penny per ounce tax would simply go to the state for general spending.

In Mexico, where a national soda tax was put in place, Falbe says drinking habits changed the most among the poor.

 

“Because those populations also tend to suffer from the health consequences of sugar-sweetened beverages like diabetes, they would also be the population that are expected to benefit the most.”

 

Illinois has the 18th highest rate of obesity in the nation, at 30 percent. ?Governor Rauner declined to comment on the idea, saying he doesn't want to interrupt negotiations in the General Assembly.

 

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