Sparring Over Soda Tax, Cities Set Referendums

Stateline: Voters in three California cities and one in Colorado will decide next month whether to slap a special tax on sugary drinks like soda and sports thirst-quenchers after costly, high-stakes campaigns that are pitting healthy-lifestyle advocates against the beverage and grocery industries.

Health advocates argue that raising the price on beverages sweetened with sugar will reduce consumption and ease the nation’s exploding rates of obesity and diabetes. The soda industry maintains there’s no proof of that.

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