Philadelphia’s City Council has voted in favor of a tax on sugar-added and artificially sweetened beverages that is expected to raise $409 million over five years for preschool and other city programs.
The vote makes Philadelphia the largest city to date to enact a beverage tax; the only other is Berkeley, Calif., which enacted one in 2014 and funnels the money to its general fund. Barring legal challenges, the tax will go into effect in Philadelphia Jan. 1.
The tax will be levied on distributors, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Eventually, consumers might pay up to 18 cents more for a 12-ounce can, $1 for a 2-liter container, and $2.16 for a 12-pack. About half the beverage-tax money is slated to go to prekindergarten.
