KHON: Governor proposal to tax sugary drinks

Consumers could soon be paying  extra for soda and sugar-sweetened drinks.

The governors proposal would add a fee of one cent per ounce of soda for distributors, and that fee would likely trickle down to retailers and consumers.

A 12 ounce of soda would cost 12 cents more….

The State Department of Health says  the new fee could generate 37 million dollars a year with that money going towards childhood and adult obesity programs and diabetes prevention the General Fund to be frittered away….

Two years ago, the Governor made a similar proposal.. but the soda tax was killed by the senate health committee.

"And already when you go to the store and you buy sugary beverages you're paying the general excise tax you're paying the beverage tax on top of it. So here we are struggling in Hawaii and the government wants to take more money," said Senator Sam Slom.

Governor Poppins: “A spoonful of sugar makes the taxes go up, taxes go up….”

PR: Tactics

Message from No Hawaii Beverage Tax:  “Calories in the American diet from added sugars in soda have dropped nearly 40 percent since 2000.  In addition, calories from soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages make up just 7 percent of the American diet.  So it makes no sense to target this industry as the culprit for a growing obesity problem. Everyone knows that obesity is a complex issue requiring a holistic approach that involves healthy and sensible eating and more exercise. Taxing beverages is a tactic that takes our eye off the real problem and hits consumers directly in the pocketbook at the grocery store.”

From No Hawaii Beverage Tax January 16, 2013

New editorial out from the Star Advertiser today urging the Legislature to proceed cautiously. As our economy tries to improve, “some constraints on new initiatives the Legislature” is the smart way to move forward.

“That's because, given all the rising costs that afflict the public purse, from rising energy bills to the increases in health care premiums that come off the household bottom line, the mission to keep a lid on new taxes also merits a high priority.”

We couldn’t agree more. The last thing we need is a beverage tax that will set us back on the course for an economic downturn.

From No Hawaii Beverage Tax January 2, 2013

Aloha from the No Hawaii Beverage Tax Coalition!

As 2013 starts off, we wanted to let you know how our work is going and give you an update on what we expect in this new year.

In November, voters in two California cities, Richmond and El Monte, went to the polls and voted on local ballot measures that proposed placing a penny-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. Hundreds of products, from juice drinks to bubble teas, were swept up in the net of these ill-conceived tax measures.  Both measures were met with strong opposition by local businesses and families and both were resoundingly defeated at the ballot box. Sixty-eight percent of Richmond voters said “NO” to the tax and 76% of El Monte voters said “NO.”

On the international front, November also brought the repeal of Denmark’s wildly unpopular “fat tax” after only one year on the books. As Danes began flocking across the border to Sweden and Germany to buy groceries, lawmakers were forced to face the harmful effect the tax had on businesses throughout the country.

From Southern California to Northern Europe, the message is clear: obesity can’t be solved through a tax, and people want politicians to focus on solving big problems instead of singling out common grocery items for unfair taxes.

We’ve been busy growing our coalition of concerned citizens, families, business and organizations opposed to beverage taxes.  Our coalition has over 2,300 individual members, over 8,000 Facebook fans and more than 340 business members.  It’s so exciting to see momentum building against a beverage tax!

As the legislative session begins, we’re working hard to tell our elected officials that discriminatory taxes hurt Hawaii’s businesses and families, and that in these tough economic times we simply can’t afford to let politicians experiment with bad policies.

Hawaii was just ranked near the bottom of states friendly to business—beverage taxes will only make matters worse and hurt an industry that supports thousands of jobs across the Islands.

Help us spread the word! If you haven’t already, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and check back often for news and updates.

Thank you for your continued support!  Let’s keep politicians out of our shopping carts.

-Your friends at No Hawaii Beverage Tax