Which Soda Tax Model Actually Encourages People to Consume Less Sugar?

Route Fifty: In mid-June of this year, Philadelphia became the largest U.S. city to begin imposing taxes on sweetened and diet soda.

Along with the City of Brotherly Love, four cities in California—Albany, Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco—as well as Boulder, Colorado; Cook County, Illinois; and the Navajo Nation have enacted taxes related to sugary drinks.

As even more jurisdictions consider adopting these types of taxes, the Urban Institute’s State and Local Finance Initiative has released a new report that urges policymakers to take a step back and examine the costs and benefits of the various models available to them.

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