Lawmakers May Have Just Passed A Ban On Local Soda Taxes, But Is Reprieve For Industry Short-Lived?
Health groups want to get an initiative on the ballot that would protect local governments' rights to impose soda taxes.
Los Angeles Times:
Healthcare Groups Want California Voters To Tax Soda
Soda companies got a respite last week from battling local taxes on sugary beverages, after California lawmakers grudgingly passed a 12-year ban on cities and counties imposing the levies. That reprieve might be short-lived. Major healthcare groups announced Monday that they will pursue a statewide soda tax initiative on the 2020 ballot to pay for public health programs. And in another jab at the beverage industry, the initiative would enshrine in the California Constitution the right of local governments to impose soda taxes. (Mason, 7/2)