Post by Logan on Jun 9, 2016 0:08:26 GMT -6
Philadelphia council gives initial approval to a 1.5-cent beverage tax
City Council gave its initial stamp of approval to a 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on sweetened drinks and diet beverages Wednesday night, paving the way for Philadelphia to become the first big city in the country to impose a soda tax.
After months of negotiations and a turbulent day that stretched into the evening, Council President Darrell L. Clarke said members backed a proposal Council had twice before rejected because of the programs it will fund - including the sweeping expansion of prekindergarten Mayor Kenney has pitched as an antipoverty initiative.
"We hope that the outcome is one that will obviously benefit pretty much every citizen in the city of Philadelphia," Clarke said just before the vote was taken. "The action that we will take will probably have some people with a sour taste in their mouths."
If the tax gets final approval by the full Council next week, as anticipated, it could have nationwide reverberations - or at least give legislators in other cities another reason for considering it. The 17 members voted by voice vote, not a roll call, but will be polled at the final vote.
Read more at www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20160609_Drink_tax_friends_and_foes_rally_at_City_Hall_before_vote.html
City Council gave its initial stamp of approval to a 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on sweetened drinks and diet beverages Wednesday night, paving the way for Philadelphia to become the first big city in the country to impose a soda tax.
After months of negotiations and a turbulent day that stretched into the evening, Council President Darrell L. Clarke said members backed a proposal Council had twice before rejected because of the programs it will fund - including the sweeping expansion of prekindergarten Mayor Kenney has pitched as an antipoverty initiative.
"We hope that the outcome is one that will obviously benefit pretty much every citizen in the city of Philadelphia," Clarke said just before the vote was taken. "The action that we will take will probably have some people with a sour taste in their mouths."
If the tax gets final approval by the full Council next week, as anticipated, it could have nationwide reverberations - or at least give legislators in other cities another reason for considering it. The 17 members voted by voice vote, not a roll call, but will be polled at the final vote.
Read more at www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20160609_Drink_tax_friends_and_foes_rally_at_City_Hall_before_vote.html