Soda Tax Opponents Rally Outside City Hall
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Soda Tax Opponents Rally Outside City Hall
Catherine Lucey
Opponents of Mayor Nutter's proposed soda tax rallied outside City Hall this afternoon, saying the tax would cost the city jobs.
About 200 people attended the rally, mostly teamsters who work for Coca Cola or Pepsi. It was organized by a coaltion that includes the teamsters and the American Beverage Association. The Beverage Association has a team of paid lobbyists and media consultants in place locally to help defeat the tax proposal.
Nutter -- who is trying to fill a projected $150 million budget deficit -- has proposed a soda tax that would add 2 cents per ounce to the price of soda. It would be charged to merchants as part of their business tax. Nutter has said the soda tax would raise revenues and help fight obesity. But the opponents said it would hurt merchants and those employed to bottle or deliver beverages.
"We're gathered today, to say in a unified voice: no!," said Danny Grace, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local Union 830.
Councilmen Brian O'Neill and Frank Rizzo both appeared at the rally. "It is a bad idea and should be stopped in it's tracks," O'Neill said.
The crowd also heard from one concerned merchant. Frank Maimone owns Rustica, a pizza restaurant in Northern Liberties. He said the tax would add $20,000 to his business tax bill, based on his sales of soda last year. That would force him to lay off an employee, Maimone said. And he said he would spread the added tax over all his products, not just soda.
"In the end you're paying more for what you shouldn't have to pay," Maimone said.
Comments (26)
Instead of taxing sugar.. why donesn't the city pull the free septa passes they are giving to these kids partaking in the flash mobs for means of money...— keriw
Comment removed.- NOTE TO CITY DISPOSE OF THE JUNK REAL ESTATE PORTFOLIO OWNED BY RDA - YOU NEED REVENUEs - DEVELOPERS, WHO HAVE MORE EXPERTISE THAN CITY AGENCY, WOULD ACQUIRE, AND GENERATE LOTS OF REAL ESTATE TAX FOR THE CITY THROUGH DEVELOPMENT. TAXATION IS NOT THE ANSWER— bxk225
- The city is unfairly singling out one industry and their employees and consumers. It's unfair and wrong to have them pay for the city's incompetence in balancing the budget. Property Tax pays for trash service and to single out property owners and double tax them is also wrong. Unless ALL people living (owning and renting) and working in Philly who generate trash are charged, the matter should be tabled.— American Girl
- Oh Boo F...ing hoo, a bunch of overpaid union slobs might lose their jobs. Sure, that's more important that people's health and revenue for the city. Losers.— oswaldoctopus
- Really? Opposed to tax on a toxin that causes obesity, diabetes, hospitalizations? Pass the law, mebbe people will drink h20 more.— hallux
- Comment removed.
- Coke and Pepsi can go jump in a lake. Ban their sale in schools if they don't like the tax. Their product is virtually poison with zero nutritional value. Whatever extra you have to pay will be saved by a reduction in dental care as their sugar loaded drinks rot teeth.— MikeP
- I am against the tax but Maimone said "based on his sales of soda last year. That would force him to lay off an employee, Maimone said. And he said he would spread the added tax over all his products, not just soda." So why would you have to lay off an employee if you were passing the tax on to the customer?— wswiz420
- I am confused. Why would you have to lay off an employee. Why wouldn't you simply increase the price of a soda by quarter?— lefty13153
- Next time you go to a convenience store, take notice of the number of 12 oz cans of soda they offer. About 5% of the soft drink product. The rest is 20 oz, 24 oz and larger. Pepsi and Coke try to shove more and more of this garbage down our throats by forcing portions on us. I see this tax as a public health win. They should consider extending this tax to snack foods as well. I'm tired of seeing kids on their way to school having soda and chips for breakfast.— gnarly davidson
- Comment removed.
- ban all sugar drinks in schools!!!! pass the tax!! philadelphians are too FAT!!!— footlooseman
- Well if they going to tax soda, why not cheesesteaks, french fries, and potato chips too?! There are many reasons why people are obese. To pick out one group of vendors is unfair. Should the next step be a salt tax? Watch out Burger King! Perhaps city counsel needs to find ways to help people stay physically active around the city- running from mobbing teenagers doesn't count— calledintoaction
eff da unions- ONLY 2 GUYS GET IT. Councilmen RIZZO & O'NEILL. They are the only ones worth a damn down there @ city council. Like Rizzo said he wouldnt be on board w/ a tax increase (of any kind) until he was assured that the city was running as cost effectively as possible. EXACTLY. We dont want ANY kind of tax increases were already over taxed as is. Find the inefficiencies in the city & w/ the many stories that are reported by the INQY there is no shortage of incompetence @ city hall & COLLECT some of the debt owed to you by the city's many dead-beats. Run the city like a business & CUT THE FAT!!— kennedy2
- @calledintoaction yep not just soda but fast/fat food taxes. stop serving junk in schools period. bad food is not food. soda's worse because its empty calories and people drink it along with the junk!!!— footlooseman
- Comment removed.
Frank Maimone: Why would you spread the tax over various products? Program your cash register to add a specified dollar amount to the applicable item, ie SODA. I like Rustica, especially the David, but you can count on one less consumer now since I know you would rather rip people off. Did bar owners tax soda when the liquor tax went into affect? Why all the hoopla now?- calledintoaction : Great idea and the city should. Obesity affects the bottom dollar of every person in the world. Most obese people are poor and a drain on the health care system. Tax this stuff sky high so only the upper middle class can afford it.
- Soda tax will just result in more losses in jobs and more deficit for the city! The olnes losing their jobs will not only be the union ones either! Tax cigarettes!— NJPA
- Tax pizza, cheesesteaks, cheese burgers, hot dogs, all fast food restaurants, potato chips, pretzels with salt, anything with cheese, tacos, sugary cereal -- frosted flakes, fruit loops, etc. and add more taxes to liquor.— Centrist
- i expected to see a pic of fat stupid protesters. guess they weren't fat.— riverhealer
- Comment removed.
- Any of you thinking that the revenue from this will actually go to obesity programs, are truly gullible. City Hall itself is insanely corrupt with nepotism and pay-for-play. Let us not even begin to discuss how hard it is to fire corrupt police officers, let alone anyone on the council or that works FOR the city council.— apallohadas
- Anyone gullible enough to believe that this is a health initiative needs to get a serious reality check! This is another money grab tax wrapped in a healthy wrapper. Nutter pulls out all the hot button issues to scare everyone. Pools, health, obesity, trash collection, libraries, etc... Nutter is nothing more than a slick salesman trying to sell a bill of goods. This is about MONEY! And how to separate the taxpayers from more of it. Nutter pulled out the arsenal for the extra one percent sales tax. Everyone forgets that the sales tax raise from 6 to 7 percent was promised to be temporary and now from 7 to 8 and coming soon 8 to 9 if you don't watch it. Your mayor and city council betrayed our trust. The bottom line is when business is bad for me, I tighten my belt and cut spending. When the city has a budget deficit, they stick their hand out like a begger on the street. And they do it on the backs of the people who employ them. This proposed bill and the city council who support it are a disgrace. Shame on the mayor for trying to pull yet another scam on the taxpayers...— Sperbigbob
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Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns. E-mail tips to brennac@phillynews.com
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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Follow Chris on Twitter
David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
Follow Dave on Twitter.
Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
Follow Jan on Twitter
Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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