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Soda Tax
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stevencloser wrote: »gearhead426hemi wrote: »Except you can buy frozen veggies which actually retain MORE vitamins than the fresh ones for a fraction of your corn on the cob and have more content and all of that is true for the other things you wrote. I also like how you used the price of a whole bottle of olive oil in your total as if it doesn't last easily a few months.
The meal you chose to write down is highly questionable to begin with as someone else pointed out. Chicken breast isn't the cheapest of meat and not much different nutritionwise from other lean cuts of meat. Add the ability to get way cheaper vegetables than 5 dollar corn on the cob and a 4 dollar cornbread as your side, methinks you were just looking for an excuse why you're not willing to cook meals.
I don't purchase any meat, fruit or vegetables from the store. I am fortunate to have a farm so I know what my food eats and where it all comes from. I am just saying from someone walking through a store such as Wal-mart and looking at what is typically on sale or is right in your face when you walk in this would be a dinner for a family of 4. As far as not cooking, I precook a weeks worth of meals for myself at work and my wife who runs the farm while I am at work cooks dinner 7 days a week.2 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »KatieHall77 wrote: »Is the new tax on sweetened beverage being used to benefit the poor and working class? Does it pay for free public access to healthcare or gym/ fitness center?
It's paying for the budget of Cook County. A lot of the money goes for services or expenses that benefit the poor, yes. It's a general budget. Is the overall tax collected by the county unfairly on lower vs. upper income people vs. services given? I don't actually think so, but that's a broader political question not limited to that kind of tax.
The reason I don't really mind this tax is (1) I'm good with experimentation, that's why we don't have complete central control, let's see what it does, (2) we need more tax money, and if they want to pass a tax that I can choose to pay or not based on what I buy, cool, and (3) seems like a win-win (as with the plastic bags, which I find personally annoying but did not oppose) -- either it changes behavior or we get more tax money that we need.
I would not support the tax, exactly, I think it's largely unlikely to work for obesity in that people will continue to buy soda or spend money on other high cal things just as much, and I do think it falls disproportionately on poorer people. It does not fit my preferred model of how taxation should work. But it doesn't bother me at all.
I think that's a pretty reasonable reaction. Like many other issues, the "outrage" on this one is being carefully stoked by an astroturf group funded by the beverage assn. That doesn't mean it still isn't a bad idea (IMO), but it's not Armageddon either.
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gearhead426hemi wrote: »
I don't purchase any meat, fruit or vegetables from the store. I am fortunate to have a farm so I know what my food eats and where it all comes from. I am just saying from someone walking through a store such as Wal-mart and looking at what is typically on sale or is right in your face when you walk in this would be a dinner for a family of 4. As far as not cooking, I precook a weeks worth of meals for myself at work and my wife who runs the farm while I am at work cooks dinner 7 days a week.
Yeah, if you never actually buy any groceries I believe you that you think that's normal.7 -
gearhead426hemi wrote: »These are just some basic prices off the top of my head from the grocery store. Corn on the cob typically goes for $1.00 an ear here. Boneless chicken breast vs chicken quarters are typically within $ 1-2 dollars of each other. The corn bread should be home made so the $4.00 is for someone to buy the ingredients. The flour is so someone could bake homemade bread. The $ 7.00 olive oil will last over a months worth of meals and is healthier than butter.
The flour and oil are the only things on this list that I purchase. I am fortunate enough that I have a farm so I grow or raise 90% of what my family consumes every month. I just see what the average person has available to them at say Wal-Mart and I am shocked they call it food. The problem is most people don't want to make a homemade meal. Someone who works 8-10 hours a day doesn't want to come home and have to spend an hour in the kitchen making dinner. They want to throw it in the microwave or oven and be done.
Dude. Meat, veggies, maybe a starch. 15-20 minutes on a grill/stovetop, tops. Could be longer, if baking, but still only 10-15 minutes of prep. Go take a shower while it bakes (yes, I sometimes do this, as I lift after work). You don't have to make a complicated meal.
Additionally, anybody that knows how to plan and look for sales/deals and/or knows how to freeze food wouldn't often pay those prices above. My guess, since you have a farm? You haven't had to learn how to price things out, as you grow/raise much of your own.3 -
stevencloser wrote: »gearhead426hemi wrote: »
I don't purchase any meat, fruit or vegetables from the store. I am fortunate to have a farm so I know what my food eats and where it all comes from. I am just saying from someone walking through a store such as Wal-mart and looking at what is typically on sale or is right in your face when you walk in this would be a dinner for a family of 4. As far as not cooking, I precook a weeks worth of meals for myself at work and my wife who runs the farm while I am at work cooks dinner 7 days a week.
Yeah, if you never actually buy any groceries I believe you that you think that's normal.
Ok, just checked local prices $1.78-3 per pound at 2 servings per family member that's closer to $4 for the chicken than 6... And that's before sales or coupons. If the other prices are also off at 1/3 high, Your $25 dollar meal is now closer to $17... after taking off portions for the bulk items(olive oil and flour) now we're down to $7... Half of Little Caesars.3 -
[/quote]
Dude. Meat, veggies, maybe a starch. 15-20 minutes on a grill/stovetop, tops. Could be longer, if baking, but still only 10-15 minutes of prep. Go take a shower while it bakes (yes, I sometimes do this, as I lift after work). You don't have to make a complicated meal.
Cooking a dinner for a family of 4 will take more than 15-20 minutes. Meals don't have to be complicated I agree with that. You can cook healthy filling meals quite easily.
Additionally, anybody that knows how to plan and look for sales/deals and/or knows how to freeze food wouldn't often pay those prices above. My guess, since you have a farm? You haven't had to learn how to price things out, as you grow/raise much of your own.[/quote]
You are right I don't price these things out I am just going off what I see walking through the store. Shopping for me consists of opening my freezer and walking through my garden or greenhouse.
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lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »We've had a soda tax for years where I live. All soda, regardless of type of sweetener.
How high? I thought this kind of soda tax was somewhat new in the US (they have one in Berkeley, perhaps, I don't remember). But I haven't really been following it until recently with Philadelphia doing it and now Cook County (after talking about it for what seems forever), so I'm not claiming I would know, just interested.
We have had a soda tax for ages in the sense that we have a high sales tax and most food is exempted and gets a far lower sales tax, but soda and candy is not, but this is beyond that.
I value my online privacy so I'm not getting into specifics. We have one (actually some as there is more than one) that apparently Wikipedia doesn't list. Believe it or not.
That wasn't wiki.
What I'm wondering about is if it's a different sort of tax than the one being discussed. I don't care where you are (my memory is a smaller town or rural area in or near the south, I could be wrong, and I understand that would be more identifying than Chicago, where I am). But as noted we had a tax that could be defined as a tax on soda even before, but this is different, since pegged to sweetener per oz, and much higher vs. the other.
Anyway, heck, if this is not such a new thing I'd like for that to be pointed out.
As I stated in another post, we've had this tax for a while but I don't think it has anything to do with obesity. I think, but honestly we've had it so long I don't remember, that it's a luxury tax.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »We've had a soda tax for years where I live. All soda, regardless of type of sweetener.
How high? I thought this kind of soda tax was somewhat new in the US (they have one in Berkeley, perhaps, I don't remember). But I haven't really been following it until recently with Philadelphia doing it and now Cook County (after talking about it for what seems forever), so I'm not claiming I would know, just interested.
We have had a soda tax for ages in the sense that we have a high sales tax and most food is exempted and gets a far lower sales tax, but soda and candy is not, but this is beyond that.
To supplement my own question, here's a pretty good summary of the different jurisdictions that have done this:
http://www.politifact.com/illinois/statements/2017/aug/07/illinois-policy-institute/chicago-soda-tax-throws-batting-practice-fastball-/
Before the current tax:
"Chicago already charged a 3 percent soft drink sales tax, and that was on top of a 10.25 percent sales tax that includes state and local portions and is the highest of any major city in the United States.
For a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans or bottles of any sweetened soft drink, regular or diet, the sweetened beverage tax adds another $1.44. Thus, a 12-pack priced at $4 costs $5.97 at the register. The new tax adds 67 cents to a two-liter bottle. If marked on the shelf at $2.49, the new tax means you’ll pay 40 percent more at checkout.
That’s how it works in Chicago, where the total price figures to be slightly higher than in the rest of Cook County even though the soda tax applies in the suburbs as well....
As it stands today, Cook County is one of only eight U.S. locations to impose or plan to impose a per-ounce tax on sweetened drinks. The other seven are cities and, with a population of 5.2 million, Cook County is by far the largest jurisdiction to adopt such a tax....
At one cent per ounce, Cook County is on the lower end of the soda tax scale. In Boulder, Colo., that two-liter soda will cost an extra $1.35 and a 12-pack will be $2.88 more. Cook County is also one of the three jurisdictions in which voters did not voluntarily adopt the tax by referendum. (Illinois has no provision for such referenda.)"
The other jurisdictions listed here are: Albany, CA; Berkeley, CA; Boulder, CO; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia; San Francisco; Seattle. However, "Cook County and the city of Philadelphia are the only places where drinks sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners also are subject to the tax."
We pay tax on non-calorically sweetened drinks. I just bought a Vitamin Water Zero and paid tax. Then I bought a store brand of the same thing (sweetened with stevia) and it was also taxed. It was 5%, or $.30 on 60 ounces (10% of the sales price)...but I have no idea how that is figured. First soft drinks I've bought in a long time.
So I guess the article is referring to this new tax..(?)
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gearhead426hemi wrote: »The flour and oil are the only things on this list that I purchase. I am fortunate enough that I have a farm so I grow or raise 90% of what my family consumes every month. I just see what the average person has available to them at say Wal-Mart and I am shocked they call it food. The problem is most people don't want to make a homemade meal. Someone who works 8-10 hours a day doesn't want to come home and have to spend an hour in the kitchen making dinner. They want to throw it in the microwave or oven and be done.
Speak for yourself. I have a full time job. I also live on a farm and grow/raise/fish/hunt for about 60%-85% of the food we consume, depending on the season. I still not only take care of the farm and garden, including canning and pickling, I cook dinner from scratch almost every night. Though I rarely take an hour to do it. I was making 30 min meals when Rachael Ray was still in diapers.4 -
cmriverside wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »We've had a soda tax for years where I live. All soda, regardless of type of sweetener.
How high? I thought this kind of soda tax was somewhat new in the US (they have one in Berkeley, perhaps, I don't remember). But I haven't really been following it until recently with Philadelphia doing it and now Cook County (after talking about it for what seems forever), so I'm not claiming I would know, just interested.
We have had a soda tax for ages in the sense that we have a high sales tax and most food is exempted and gets a far lower sales tax, but soda and candy is not, but this is beyond that.
To supplement my own question, here's a pretty good summary of the different jurisdictions that have done this:
http://www.politifact.com/illinois/statements/2017/aug/07/illinois-policy-institute/chicago-soda-tax-throws-batting-practice-fastball-/
Before the current tax:
"Chicago already charged a 3 percent soft drink sales tax, and that was on top of a 10.25 percent sales tax that includes state and local portions and is the highest of any major city in the United States.
For a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans or bottles of any sweetened soft drink, regular or diet, the sweetened beverage tax adds another $1.44. Thus, a 12-pack priced at $4 costs $5.97 at the register. The new tax adds 67 cents to a two-liter bottle. If marked on the shelf at $2.49, the new tax means you’ll pay 40 percent more at checkout.
That’s how it works in Chicago, where the total price figures to be slightly higher than in the rest of Cook County even though the soda tax applies in the suburbs as well....
As it stands today, Cook County is one of only eight U.S. locations to impose or plan to impose a per-ounce tax on sweetened drinks. The other seven are cities and, with a population of 5.2 million, Cook County is by far the largest jurisdiction to adopt such a tax....
At one cent per ounce, Cook County is on the lower end of the soda tax scale. In Boulder, Colo., that two-liter soda will cost an extra $1.35 and a 12-pack will be $2.88 more. Cook County is also one of the three jurisdictions in which voters did not voluntarily adopt the tax by referendum. (Illinois has no provision for such referenda.)"
The other jurisdictions listed here are: Albany, CA; Berkeley, CA; Boulder, CO; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia; San Francisco; Seattle. However, "Cook County and the city of Philadelphia are the only places where drinks sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners also are subject to the tax."
We pay tax on non-calorically sweetened drinks. I just bought a Vitamin Water Zero and paid tax. Then I bought a store brand of the same thing (sweetened with stevia) and it was also taxed. It was 5%, or $.30 on 60 ounces (10% of the sales price)...but I have no idea how that is figured. First soft drinks I've bought in a long time.
So I guess the article is referring to this new tax..(?)
Yeah, it's a new per ounce tax that is additional on top of the regular sales tax.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »gearhead426hemi wrote: »The flour and oil are the only things on this list that I purchase. I am fortunate enough that I have a farm so I grow or raise 90% of what my family consumes every month. I just see what the average person has available to them at say Wal-Mart and I am shocked they call it food. The problem is most people don't want to make a homemade meal. Someone who works 8-10 hours a day doesn't want to come home and have to spend an hour in the kitchen making dinner. They want to throw it in the microwave or oven and be done.
Speak for yourself. I have a full time job. I also live on a farm and grow/raise/fish/hunt for about 60%-85% of the food we consume, depending on the season. I still not only take care of the farm and garden, including canning and pickling, I cook dinner from scratch almost every night. Though I rarely take an hour to do it. I was making 30 min meals when Rachael Ray was still in diapers.
I make 30 minute meals all the time as well. Last night we had goat chops, asparagus and fried zucchini. Kids had friends over so I cooked for 6 in about 30 minutes. When I meal prep for 7 days of work it takes an hour to hour and a half. That's 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches in an hour to hour and half. I just know that a lot of my friends and family eat out 3-4 times a week so they don't have to cook for their family.
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »gearhead426hemi wrote: »The flour and oil are the only things on this list that I purchase. I am fortunate enough that I have a farm so I grow or raise 90% of what my family consumes every month. I just see what the average person has available to them at say Wal-Mart and I am shocked they call it food. The problem is most people don't want to make a homemade meal. Someone who works 8-10 hours a day doesn't want to come home and have to spend an hour in the kitchen making dinner. They want to throw it in the microwave or oven and be done.
Speak for yourself. I have a full time job. I also live on a farm and grow/raise/fish/hunt for about 60%-85% of the food we consume, depending on the season. I still not only take care of the farm and garden, including canning and pickling, I cook dinner from scratch almost every night. Though I rarely take an hour to do it. I was making 30 min meals when Rachael Ray was still in diapers.
Full time job, don't live on a farm anymore but (and I know this has gone off topic) but I ran the numbers on what our meal cost last night:
8 6 ounce pork loin chops $5.97 ( I buy 8-12lb packages and cut them myself, $1.99/lb)
2.54 frozen broccoli package $2.54
Family sized seasoned rice $1.84
Mustard grilling glaze for pork chops $2.50
That's $12.85 for a family of 5. Took me 20mins to cook this up. Kids get to do the cleanup
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cmriverside wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »We've had a soda tax for years where I live. All soda, regardless of type of sweetener.
How high? I thought this kind of soda tax was somewhat new in the US (they have one in Berkeley, perhaps, I don't remember). But I haven't really been following it until recently with Philadelphia doing it and now Cook County (after talking about it for what seems forever), so I'm not claiming I would know, just interested.
We have had a soda tax for ages in the sense that we have a high sales tax and most food is exempted and gets a far lower sales tax, but soda and candy is not, but this is beyond that.
To supplement my own question, here's a pretty good summary of the different jurisdictions that have done this:
http://www.politifact.com/illinois/statements/2017/aug/07/illinois-policy-institute/chicago-soda-tax-throws-batting-practice-fastball-/
Before the current tax:
"Chicago already charged a 3 percent soft drink sales tax, and that was on top of a 10.25 percent sales tax that includes state and local portions and is the highest of any major city in the United States.
For a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans or bottles of any sweetened soft drink, regular or diet, the sweetened beverage tax adds another $1.44. Thus, a 12-pack priced at $4 costs $5.97 at the register. The new tax adds 67 cents to a two-liter bottle. If marked on the shelf at $2.49, the new tax means you’ll pay 40 percent more at checkout.
That’s how it works in Chicago, where the total price figures to be slightly higher than in the rest of Cook County even though the soda tax applies in the suburbs as well....
As it stands today, Cook County is one of only eight U.S. locations to impose or plan to impose a per-ounce tax on sweetened drinks. The other seven are cities and, with a population of 5.2 million, Cook County is by far the largest jurisdiction to adopt such a tax....
At one cent per ounce, Cook County is on the lower end of the soda tax scale. In Boulder, Colo., that two-liter soda will cost an extra $1.35 and a 12-pack will be $2.88 more. Cook County is also one of the three jurisdictions in which voters did not voluntarily adopt the tax by referendum. (Illinois has no provision for such referenda.)"
The other jurisdictions listed here are: Albany, CA; Berkeley, CA; Boulder, CO; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia; San Francisco; Seattle. However, "Cook County and the city of Philadelphia are the only places where drinks sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners also are subject to the tax."
We pay tax on non-calorically sweetened drinks. I just bought a Vitamin Water Zero and paid tax. Then I bought a store brand of the same thing (sweetened with stevia) and it was also taxed. It was 5%, or $.30 on 60 ounces (10% of the sales price)...but I have no idea how that is figured. First soft drinks I've bought in a long time.
So I guess the article is referring to this new tax..(?)
Just to be clear, are you saying you pay an additional tax on soda beyond the standard sales tax? For example, not just something like the following, which is what my state as a whole has: "There is also a sales tax on general merchandise that applies to tangible items except food and drugs but including alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and food prepared for immediate consumption, for example in a restaurant." Instead, a specific tax beyond the standard sales tax that is added on soda?
I'm just curious, since it keeps being reported as if this is some weird new thing, and if it's actually already common I'd like to know that (and be more annoyed with the reporting).0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »We've had a soda tax for years where I live. All soda, regardless of type of sweetener.
How high? I thought this kind of soda tax was somewhat new in the US (they have one in Berkeley, perhaps, I don't remember). But I haven't really been following it until recently with Philadelphia doing it and now Cook County (after talking about it for what seems forever), so I'm not claiming I would know, just interested.
We have had a soda tax for ages in the sense that we have a high sales tax and most food is exempted and gets a far lower sales tax, but soda and candy is not, but this is beyond that.
To supplement my own question, here's a pretty good summary of the different jurisdictions that have done this:
http://www.politifact.com/illinois/statements/2017/aug/07/illinois-policy-institute/chicago-soda-tax-throws-batting-practice-fastball-/
Before the current tax:
"Chicago already charged a 3 percent soft drink sales tax, and that was on top of a 10.25 percent sales tax that includes state and local portions and is the highest of any major city in the United States.
For a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans or bottles of any sweetened soft drink, regular or diet, the sweetened beverage tax adds another $1.44. Thus, a 12-pack priced at $4 costs $5.97 at the register. The new tax adds 67 cents to a two-liter bottle. If marked on the shelf at $2.49, the new tax means you’ll pay 40 percent more at checkout.
That’s how it works in Chicago, where the total price figures to be slightly higher than in the rest of Cook County even though the soda tax applies in the suburbs as well....
As it stands today, Cook County is one of only eight U.S. locations to impose or plan to impose a per-ounce tax on sweetened drinks. The other seven are cities and, with a population of 5.2 million, Cook County is by far the largest jurisdiction to adopt such a tax....
At one cent per ounce, Cook County is on the lower end of the soda tax scale. In Boulder, Colo., that two-liter soda will cost an extra $1.35 and a 12-pack will be $2.88 more. Cook County is also one of the three jurisdictions in which voters did not voluntarily adopt the tax by referendum. (Illinois has no provision for such referenda.)"
The other jurisdictions listed here are: Albany, CA; Berkeley, CA; Boulder, CO; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia; San Francisco; Seattle. However, "Cook County and the city of Philadelphia are the only places where drinks sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners also are subject to the tax."
We pay tax on non-calorically sweetened drinks. I just bought a Vitamin Water Zero and paid tax. Then I bought a store brand of the same thing (sweetened with stevia) and it was also taxed. It was 5%, or $.30 on 60 ounces (10% of the sales price)...but I have no idea how that is figured. First soft drinks I've bought in a long time.
So I guess the article is referring to this new tax..(?)
Just to be clear, are you saying you pay an additional tax on soda beyond the standard sales tax? For example, not just something like the following, which is what my state as a whole has: "There is also a sales tax on general merchandise that applies to tangible items except food and drugs but including alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and food prepared for immediate consumption, for example in a restaurant." Instead, a specific tax beyond the standard sales tax that is added on soda?
I'm just curious, since it keeps being reported as if this is some weird new thing, and if it's actually already common I'd like to know that (and be more annoyed with the reporting).
I suspect that what happened was that as glass bottles(and deposits) phased out, some localities converted the deposit to a tax, since the abandoned deposits reverted to the state/locality anyway. And nobody really noticed or cared.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »KatieHall77 wrote: »Is the new tax on sweetened beverage being used to benefit the poor and working class? Does it pay for free public access to healthcare or gym/ fitness center?
It's paying for the budget of Cook County. A lot of the money goes for services or expenses that benefit the poor, yes. It's a general budget. Is the overall tax collected by the county unfairly on lower vs. upper income people vs. services given? I don't actually think so, but that's a broader political question not limited to that kind of tax.
The reason I don't really mind this tax is (1) I'm good with experimentation, that's why we don't have complete central control, let's see what it does, (2) we need more tax money, and if they want to pass a tax that I can choose to pay or not based on what I buy, cool, and (3) seems like a win-win (as with the plastic bags, which I find personally annoying but did not oppose) -- either it changes behavior or we get more tax money that we need.
I would not support the tax, exactly, I think it's largely unlikely to work for obesity in that people will continue to buy soda or spend money on other high cal things just as much, and I do think it falls disproportionately on poorer people. It does not fit my preferred model of how taxation should work. But it doesn't bother me at all.
I don't live in Cook County and I don't drink/buy many sweetened drinks so it doesn't really affect me... The thing that seems really duplicitous about this is that on one side you have the politicians taking money from the sugar lobby to be able to put sugar in practically everything, and then on the other side you have them taking taxes on said sugar... Yay for big government! :sarcasm:0 -
Going to try and refocus on what this thread is actually about. The problem I really have with taxation of things like this how much of that revenue is going to benefit the people. Taxing something like drinks that typically lower income to middle income families consume makes no sense. A family receiving food stamps from the government then gets charged a higher tax on the food they consume isn't that double dipping? The government is taxing a higher rate on food they are paying for with money received from other taxation. ?? I like to look at the bigger picture and question everything. How much is enough? How is the government using my money to improve the quality of life for the people? I've been to places like Chicago, Detroit even where I live here in Washington state where they tax the hell out of everything yet nothing has really changed.
“The best way to take control over a people and control them utterly is to take a little of their freedom at a time, to erode rights by a thousand tiny and almost imperceptible reductions." Patrick Miller3 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »We've had a soda tax for years where I live. All soda, regardless of type of sweetener.
How high? I thought this kind of soda tax was somewhat new in the US (they have one in Berkeley, perhaps, I don't remember). But I haven't really been following it until recently with Philadelphia doing it and now Cook County (after talking about it for what seems forever), so I'm not claiming I would know, just interested.
We have had a soda tax for ages in the sense that we have a high sales tax and most food is exempted and gets a far lower sales tax, but soda and candy is not, but this is beyond that.
To supplement my own question, here's a pretty good summary of the different jurisdictions that have done this:
http://www.politifact.com/illinois/statements/2017/aug/07/illinois-policy-institute/chicago-soda-tax-throws-batting-practice-fastball-/
Before the current tax:
"Chicago already charged a 3 percent soft drink sales tax, and that was on top of a 10.25 percent sales tax that includes state and local portions and is the highest of any major city in the United States.
For a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans or bottles of any sweetened soft drink, regular or diet, the sweetened beverage tax adds another $1.44. Thus, a 12-pack priced at $4 costs $5.97 at the register. The new tax adds 67 cents to a two-liter bottle. If marked on the shelf at $2.49, the new tax means you’ll pay 40 percent more at checkout.
That’s how it works in Chicago, where the total price figures to be slightly higher than in the rest of Cook County even though the soda tax applies in the suburbs as well....
As it stands today, Cook County is one of only eight U.S. locations to impose or plan to impose a per-ounce tax on sweetened drinks. The other seven are cities and, with a population of 5.2 million, Cook County is by far the largest jurisdiction to adopt such a tax....
At one cent per ounce, Cook County is on the lower end of the soda tax scale. In Boulder, Colo., that two-liter soda will cost an extra $1.35 and a 12-pack will be $2.88 more. Cook County is also one of the three jurisdictions in which voters did not voluntarily adopt the tax by referendum. (Illinois has no provision for such referenda.)"
The other jurisdictions listed here are: Albany, CA; Berkeley, CA; Boulder, CO; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia; San Francisco; Seattle. However, "Cook County and the city of Philadelphia are the only places where drinks sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners also are subject to the tax."
We pay tax on non-calorically sweetened drinks. I just bought a Vitamin Water Zero and paid tax. Then I bought a store brand of the same thing (sweetened with stevia) and it was also taxed. It was 5%, or $.30 on 60 ounces (10% of the sales price)...but I have no idea how that is figured. First soft drinks I've bought in a long time.
So I guess the article is referring to this new tax..(?)
Just to be clear, are you saying you pay an additional tax on soda beyond the standard sales tax? For example, not just something like the following, which is what my state as a whole has: "There is also a sales tax on general merchandise that applies to tangible items except food and drugs but including alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and food prepared for immediate consumption, for example in a restaurant." Instead, a specific tax beyond the standard sales tax that is added on soda?
I'm just curious, since it keeps being reported as if this is some weird new thing, and if it's actually already common I'd like to know that (and be more annoyed with the reporting).
Ours is above and beyond food tax, because we have no food tax (except for luxury food items).0 -
singingflutelady wrote: »czmiles926 wrote: »A sugar tax will soon be implemented in the UK on soft drinks. And I'm all for it. Soft drinks have no nutritional benefits, I've always viewed soft drinks as a luxury but some people drink them like they're water which is not right. And it's our NHS that has to deal with these people when they get diabetes.
Sugar doesn't cause diabetes.....
Consuming sugar causes blood glucose levels to rise which is detected by beta cells in the pancreas which produce insulin. Insulin combines with insulin receptors on the surface of cells which causes:
increased cellular respiration,
the convertion of glucose to glycogen,
the conversion of glucose to fat
and the absorption of glucose into cells.
All these measures lead to a decrease in blood glucose levels.
Happy days.
However if large amounts of sugar is consumed frequently enough, the insulin receptors on the cells no longer respond to the presence of insulin and blood glucose levels remain too high for too long. This is type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune disorder which causes the immune system to attack the beta cells of the pancreas leaving it unable to produce any insulin however I thought it was obvious that I was talking about type 2 given the context.5 -
stanmann571 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »We've had a soda tax for years where I live. All soda, regardless of type of sweetener.
How high? I thought this kind of soda tax was somewhat new in the US (they have one in Berkeley, perhaps, I don't remember). But I haven't really been following it until recently with Philadelphia doing it and now Cook County (after talking about it for what seems forever), so I'm not claiming I would know, just interested.
We have had a soda tax for ages in the sense that we have a high sales tax and most food is exempted and gets a far lower sales tax, but soda and candy is not, but this is beyond that.
To supplement my own question, here's a pretty good summary of the different jurisdictions that have done this:
http://www.politifact.com/illinois/statements/2017/aug/07/illinois-policy-institute/chicago-soda-tax-throws-batting-practice-fastball-/
Before the current tax:
"Chicago already charged a 3 percent soft drink sales tax, and that was on top of a 10.25 percent sales tax that includes state and local portions and is the highest of any major city in the United States.
For a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans or bottles of any sweetened soft drink, regular or diet, the sweetened beverage tax adds another $1.44. Thus, a 12-pack priced at $4 costs $5.97 at the register. The new tax adds 67 cents to a two-liter bottle. If marked on the shelf at $2.49, the new tax means you’ll pay 40 percent more at checkout.
That’s how it works in Chicago, where the total price figures to be slightly higher than in the rest of Cook County even though the soda tax applies in the suburbs as well....
As it stands today, Cook County is one of only eight U.S. locations to impose or plan to impose a per-ounce tax on sweetened drinks. The other seven are cities and, with a population of 5.2 million, Cook County is by far the largest jurisdiction to adopt such a tax....
At one cent per ounce, Cook County is on the lower end of the soda tax scale. In Boulder, Colo., that two-liter soda will cost an extra $1.35 and a 12-pack will be $2.88 more. Cook County is also one of the three jurisdictions in which voters did not voluntarily adopt the tax by referendum. (Illinois has no provision for such referenda.)"
The other jurisdictions listed here are: Albany, CA; Berkeley, CA; Boulder, CO; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia; San Francisco; Seattle. However, "Cook County and the city of Philadelphia are the only places where drinks sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners also are subject to the tax."
We pay tax on non-calorically sweetened drinks. I just bought a Vitamin Water Zero and paid tax. Then I bought a store brand of the same thing (sweetened with stevia) and it was also taxed. It was 5%, or $.30 on 60 ounces (10% of the sales price)...but I have no idea how that is figured. First soft drinks I've bought in a long time.
So I guess the article is referring to this new tax..(?)
Just to be clear, are you saying you pay an additional tax on soda beyond the standard sales tax? For example, not just something like the following, which is what my state as a whole has: "There is also a sales tax on general merchandise that applies to tangible items except food and drugs but including alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and food prepared for immediate consumption, for example in a restaurant." Instead, a specific tax beyond the standard sales tax that is added on soda?
I'm just curious, since it keeps being reported as if this is some weird new thing, and if it's actually already common I'd like to know that (and be more annoyed with the reporting).
I suspect that what happened was that as glass bottles(and deposits) phased out, some localities converted the deposit to a tax, since the abandoned deposits reverted to the state/locality anyway. And nobody really noticed or cared.
Ah, that makes sense.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »We've had a soda tax for years where I live. All soda, regardless of type of sweetener.
How high? I thought this kind of soda tax was somewhat new in the US (they have one in Berkeley, perhaps, I don't remember). But I haven't really been following it until recently with Philadelphia doing it and now Cook County (after talking about it for what seems forever), so I'm not claiming I would know, just interested.
We have had a soda tax for ages in the sense that we have a high sales tax and most food is exempted and gets a far lower sales tax, but soda and candy is not, but this is beyond that.
To supplement my own question, here's a pretty good summary of the different jurisdictions that have done this:
http://www.politifact.com/illinois/statements/2017/aug/07/illinois-policy-institute/chicago-soda-tax-throws-batting-practice-fastball-/
Before the current tax:
"Chicago already charged a 3 percent soft drink sales tax, and that was on top of a 10.25 percent sales tax that includes state and local portions and is the highest of any major city in the United States.
For a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans or bottles of any sweetened soft drink, regular or diet, the sweetened beverage tax adds another $1.44. Thus, a 12-pack priced at $4 costs $5.97 at the register. The new tax adds 67 cents to a two-liter bottle. If marked on the shelf at $2.49, the new tax means you’ll pay 40 percent more at checkout.
That’s how it works in Chicago, where the total price figures to be slightly higher than in the rest of Cook County even though the soda tax applies in the suburbs as well....
As it stands today, Cook County is one of only eight U.S. locations to impose or plan to impose a per-ounce tax on sweetened drinks. The other seven are cities and, with a population of 5.2 million, Cook County is by far the largest jurisdiction to adopt such a tax....
At one cent per ounce, Cook County is on the lower end of the soda tax scale. In Boulder, Colo., that two-liter soda will cost an extra $1.35 and a 12-pack will be $2.88 more. Cook County is also one of the three jurisdictions in which voters did not voluntarily adopt the tax by referendum. (Illinois has no provision for such referenda.)"
The other jurisdictions listed here are: Albany, CA; Berkeley, CA; Boulder, CO; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia; San Francisco; Seattle. However, "Cook County and the city of Philadelphia are the only places where drinks sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners also are subject to the tax."
We pay tax on non-calorically sweetened drinks. I just bought a Vitamin Water Zero and paid tax. Then I bought a store brand of the same thing (sweetened with stevia) and it was also taxed. It was 5%, or $.30 on 60 ounces (10% of the sales price)...but I have no idea how that is figured. First soft drinks I've bought in a long time.
So I guess the article is referring to this new tax..(?)
Just to be clear, are you saying you pay an additional tax on soda beyond the standard sales tax? For example, not just something like the following, which is what my state as a whole has: "There is also a sales tax on general merchandise that applies to tangible items except food and drugs but including alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and food prepared for immediate consumption, for example in a restaurant." Instead, a specific tax beyond the standard sales tax that is added on soda?
I'm just curious, since it keeps being reported as if this is some weird new thing, and if it's actually already common I'd like to know that (and be more annoyed with the reporting).
Ours is above and beyond food tax, because we have no food tax (except for luxury food items).
That sounds like what we also have:
10.25% on non food items, and 2.25% (I think) on food, BUT candy and alcohol and soda and prepared foods did not get the food exemption.
I think of that as just sales tax, not a soda and candy tax.0
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