(Twitter @HaydenBedsole)
One year ago, Philadelphia imposed a tax on sweetened drinks of 1.5 cents per ounce, expecting to fund all kinds of worthy causes such as community schools, recreation centers, libraries and parks.
The revenue projections fell short, however, as sales of carbonated soft drinks – the largest sweetened beverage category – dropped 55 percent inside the city while rising 38 percent just outside it.
Now, Seattle has enacted its own tax of 1.75 cents per ounce to all sweetened beverages sold in the city, and the sticker shock already is apparent, with flats of Gatorade at Costco rising by 65 percent and Dr Pepper by 75 percent, notes Jon Gabriel of the blog Ricochet.com.
To avoid complaints, Costco has posted an explanation of the price increase, showing how much of the total price is due to the Seattle tax.
Costco’s price for 36 12-ounce cans of
