Reason reports that opponents of Chicago’s soda tax, passed just last November, can crack open a can of Coke and celebrate — the tax is dead, after lawmakers in Cook County, Ill., voted to repeal it.
Chicago's offensive, ineffective soda tax is dead. Chug a @MountainDew to celebrate sez @baylenlinnekin @reason https://t.co/bpOGQkK6I6
— Nick Gillespie (@nickgillespie) October 14, 2017
Baylen Linnekin writes that the tax was all about money, not public health, and pretty much everyone knew it:
The short-lived tax, passed in November 2016, was a disaster. Billed as a way to raise revenue and improve residents’ health, instead it spurred lawsuits and threats from the federal government. Retailers complained beverage sales had plummeted by nearly half, thanks in part to wealthier consumers avoiding the tax by driving outside the county to buy soda.
The county had billed the tax as a health measure. But, as criticism mounted, even supporters on the council were forced to admit the obvious: the tax was nothing but a money grab. Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg labeled the tax “a bald cash grab” that “was never about battling obesity or diabetes.”
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Furthermore, ads promoting the tax were reportedly bankrolled by none other than soda’s No. 1 enemy, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.
So, the tax was just a money grab? Grab a Mountain Dew and celebrate!
?????????? https://t.co/n9lsNzIleZ
— Ben McDonald (@Bmac0507) October 14, 2017
https://twitter.com/wjwaldron/status/919268743481577472
https://twitter.com/wjwaldron/status/919269299222712320
Hmm … now we’re wondering if Chicago has any problems other than soda consumption it could prioritize.
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Related:
Michael Bloomberg thanks Mexico for taxing the sodas America just won't ban http://t.co/Ns9bQmqGMf
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) September 10, 2013
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