>Five months after the city implemented its penny-per-ounce tax on all manner of sugar-sweetened beverages, lower-income residents had reduced their consumption by 21%, compared to the pre-tax days. Meanwhile, their counterparts in neighboring Oakland and San Francisco increased the amount of sugary drinks consumed by 4% during the same period, according to a study published Tuesday in the American Journal of Public Health.
>Instead of swilling as much Coke, Gatorade, Red Bull and Hawaiian Punch, the Berkeley residents boosted their water consumption by 63%. In the neighboring cities, low-income residents drank only 19% more water during the study period.
The results provide strong evidence that the sin taxes that helped steer consumers away from alcohol and tobacco products can also work on sugary drinks such as soda, said Dr. Kristine Madsen, a public health researcher at UC Berkeley and senior author of the study.
>About two dozen states have considered excise taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages ... But Berkeley was the first jurisdiction to pass one. The campaign in favor of Measure D was framed as “Berkeley vs. Big Soda,” and it passed in 2014 with 75% of the vote.
>Unlike a sales tax, which shoppers see at the register, an excise tax gets incorporated into the price of an item. Three months after Measure D went into effect, 47% of the penny-per-ounce tax had been passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices for sugar-sweetened beverages, according to a previous study by some of the same researchers. For sodas in particular, 69% of the tax was incorporated into the price.
Asher Collins
>To see whether the tax would change anyone’s buying habits, Madsen and her colleagues from UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco sent interviewers to busy intersections in census tracts with large numbers of low-income and non-white residents. They focused on these groups because they are “more likely to consume [sugar-sweetened beverages] and suffer related health consequences,” such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease, the researchers wrote.
>Interviewers asked residents in Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco how often they drank beverages in five categories: full-calorie soda, sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit drinks and sweetened tea or coffee concoctions. The first set of interviews occurred at least eight months before the tax went into effect; the second set was completed five months after it was implemented. Nearly 3,000 people answered the questions in either English or Spanish.
>After controlling for the age, gender, race, ethnicity and education level of those who took the survey, researchers found that the drinking habits of Berkeley residents were starkly different from those of similar people in Oakland and San Francisco.
>For instance, while Berkeleyites drank 26% less regular soda after the tax went into effect, their neighbors drank 10% more. The gap was even more pronounced in the case of sports drinks — those in Berkeley cut back by 36%, while those in Oakland and San Francisco drank 21% more. Both of those differences were large enough to be statistically significant, according to the study.
>The trend lines were the same for other beverage categories. Interest in Arizona Iced Tea, bottled Frappuccinos and other sweetened coffees and teas fell by 13% in Berkeley, but rose 22% in Oakland and San Francisco.
Aaron Brown
new york city has been doing this for years
Bentley Brown
I thought Bloomberg's soda tax failed.
Owen Miller
>up 10% in Oakland/SF lol. regressive taxing doesn't work. poor people are poor because they make bad chocies
Angel Green
The statistics do not lie: the tax is very effective in reducing the amount of sugar consumed, however, I really do think it goes against my principles. I belive the government should have no authority in what it's citizens consume, even if it might be harmful to themselves. It is important to me that I stand by my libertarian principles, because as Malcolm X said: "A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything."
Nicholas Thompson
But there are plenty of wealthy fat people too.
Gavin Scott
>get taxed to subsidize corn production to make sodas artificially cheap >get taxed again to make sodas more expensive to cancel things out
Th... thanks government.
Elijah Williams
I guess I just don't believe anyone has true free will.
Depressing isn't it? They should remove candy, cookies, cake, and soda from SNAP benefits as well.
Aiden Campbell
Perhaps, when the government stops regulating food, corrupt food companies could take control, with the goal of "fattening" up the population and getting their customers with little alternatives for drink to become addicted to caffeine and sugar. At least the government wants people to be healthy.
Jackson Rodriguez
how is this info. retarded countries like mine have been doing this for years with smoking by raising the govt excise.
The problem arises when the gov starts to rely on this money to fund budget promises
Owen Wilson
>SNAP
Just one big subsidy in itself.
Alexander Anderson
>water will disappear if the government stops regulating food
Ryder Rogers
>land of the free
[claps internally]
Hudson Gutierrez
>the goal of "fattening" up the population Honestly, this is straightforward bullshit. Even if evil companies and (((((((JOOZ)))))) were conspiring in this regard, they would push prices, for plebs/goyim to be hungry and ready to work more. Why would one want a huge landwhale population?
Jayden Hill
Pardon me for invoking Dave Chappelle, but how often were black people the target demographic for fruit juice and energy drinks?
Also, according to that study, the tax was implemented in March of 2015. The following five months (IE their data) are comprised almost entirely of Spring and Summer. Do I have to spell out why it might be a terrible idea to monitor changes in drinking patterns during this time?
Nathaniel Butler
Interesting news article. I find prop 47 and the rapid rise in crime in commiefornia more interesting though. Couple that with their shitty gun laws, its like they want their citizens to suffer.
Jack Torres
Yeah, the families that shop in bulk go to Emeryville or drive across the fucking bridge to SF. No change in health habit.
John Jones
>democrats finally admit taxes ruin business
W O W O W
Hudson Wood
Cheap asses. Soda is shit anyways though.
Cameron Collins
>SF >Berkeley
Wouldn't be surprised if all of this data is fake or fluffed.
