Professor McDaniel Comments on Soda Taxes

SMITHSONIAN -- “I think [the soday industry sees] this as very important for their future, and they are trying to make it clear to other cities and other states that might consider similar types of taxes that they are going to fight hard,” Jason McDaniel, a political science professor at San Francisco State University, tells KQED. These cities aren’t the first to pass a tax on sugary drinks: In 2014, Berkeley, California became the first city in the nation to start taxing sodas more, with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania following suit earlier this year. However, with the beverage tax scheduled to hit the City of Brotherly Love on January 1, 2017, the beverage industry is pushing back and suing to keep it from being implemented.