Here's what the proposed sweetened-beverage tax looks like

It would apply to any beverages sweetened, artificially or with sugar

Published 4:00 pm, Thursday, April 27, 2017

All of these bad boys will cost a little extra if Mayor Murray's soda tax gets passed.

All of these bad boys will cost a little extra if Mayor Murray's...

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray on Thursday announced changes to his proposal for a tax on certain beverages.

Murray's original tax proposal covered all sugary beverages – everything from sodas, to juices, to energy and sports drinks, to sweetened teas and bottled coffees.

Under the new proposal, all such beverages, whether sweetened artificially or otherwise, would see a price rise. So diet sodas and other drinks sweetened by things that are not sugar would also be taxed.

The other big change is that he's dropping the amount of the tax. The tax will now be 1.75 cents per ounce of sweetened beverage; so if a two-liter soda was $1.99 before, it'll cost an extra $1.18 with the tax.

His goal with the tax is two-fold: To discourage the consumption of unhealthy drinks while curbing conditions such as obesity and diabetes, and to fund education programs to reduce the disparity in opportunity between students of color and white students.

Murray has said that the inclusion of artificial sweeteners came from speaking with public health officials and community advocates, who pointed out that diet sodas and other drinks that use non-caloric sweeteners are favored by richer and whiter demographics, meaning that, statistically speaking, the tax would end up hitting people of color and low-income communities harder.

Given that the tax is intended to help those same communities, Murray has decided to include diet drinks in the tax.

That move also bumps the expected revenue up to $23 million in the first year, which Murray and his team hope to put towards education.

Ed Murray announces his plan for a sweetened beverage tax, as a way to fund education programs in the city.

Media: The Mayor's Office

About 20 percent of the first year's revenue will be invested in "one-time start-up costs or time-limited projects" such as the "13th Year" program, which hopes to ensure that all Seattle Public Schools graduates can attend at least one year at a Seattle community college for free.

Over time, though, the mayor's office hopes that the revenue will drop. Proponents believe the tax will help slow consumption of sweetened beverages and will only yield about $18 million annually, starting in the second year.

Similar taxes have been approved by voters in cities such as San Francisco, Philadelphia, Oakland, California and Boulder, Colorado, although not many are as steep as Seattle's would be. Many have argued that diet soda or no, what amounts to another sales tax is yet more regressive taxation that would hit poor people (like those in the communities the tax is supposed to help) harder. Murray, at least, tried to allay such concerns at the announcement.

"To those that say we are supporting a regressive tax, I say: You know what is more regressive? You know what is really taking money out of African-American communities?" Murray asked. "Tolerating an education system that is failing students of color everyday, and leaving them without a future, and giving them food that will only lead to health problems."

The mayor's proposal now heads to the City Council sometime in the coming weeks. But it's still got a long road ahead of it; though Councilmen Tim Burgess and Rob Johnson supported the mayor during his announcement, Murray still has to win over the other members of the council.

And that's all before local unions and big soda companies gear up to fight the tax.

For now, Seattleites can crack a cold one and watch the fight go down. For at least the next few months, it won't cost you anything extra.