Passed in November, Berkeley’s so-called “soda tax” is the first of its kind in the United States. The 1-cent-per-ounce tax on the distribution of sugary beverages brought in $116,000 in funds in March. We at the Clog think this is definitely a step in the right direction toward ending the crippling obesity the United States is facing. But we’re still weighing the pros and cons of the tax.
Pros:
- It forces us to think about how the 86 grams of sugar in the large Coke we ordered at McDonald’s is slowly killing us.
- It celebrates diet soda drinkers, as they’re left tax free. Other “gains” from drinking diet soda may include kidney problems, an F’d up metabolism, obesity, cell damage, rotting teeth and reproductive problems.
- The projection that the city of Berkeley will gain about $1.2 million from the tax in the next year shows that despite the government’s greatest paternalistic efforts, Berkeley citizens will still drink 120 million ounces of soda this year.
- With less sugar being wasted on soda, we can put it in other things, such as our cereal, bread, granola bars — basically anything and everything else we eat.
Cons:
- It makes local soda drinkers feel like the “Other.”
- “Big Sugar” and Berkeley don’t get along very well anymore.
- Your grandparents have additional reasons as to why everyone in Berkeley is a hippie — and you need to watch out, or you will become one, too.
- Hot chocolate costs more, which is a bummer.
Image created by Sabrina Werts
