After Washington state passed a tax on soda and other sugary beverages in April, beverage industry lobbyists got their act together and have quashed efforts in several other states to pass a similar
tax this year, Joey Peters reports. Not only have bills in Mississippi, New Mexico and New York state gone nowhere, an industry-funded initiative to repeal the Washington tax looks likes it has gained
more than enough signatures to go before voters in November.
The tactics vary from state to state but the overall message is "don't lay the blame for obesity solely on soda." Washington state
Rep. Eileen Cody, who chairs the House health care committee, is among lawmakers who were nervous about provoking exactly what has occurred: a strongly financed campaign against the tax, Peters
writes. The American Beverage Association reportedly spent more than $1 million to get the initiative on the ballot in Washington and a spokesman for the coalition of children's health groups who
pushed the soda tax expects the industry to pour as much as $10 million into pushing for repeal.
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