State Soda Tax Could Be Lifeboat for Fiscally Strapped Counties

For cash-strapped counties struggling to fund vital programs, the state’s proposed soda tax (AB 669-Monning) could be a lifeboat, according to a new county-by-county analysis of how that revenue would be returned to local communities. The proposed penny an ounce tax on sugary beverages would raise an estimated $1.7 billion annually in California. The bulk of those funds – 85 percent or $1.4 billion – would be returned to counties proportional to their population to pay for education and children’s health programs.

“Local communities will be the direct beneficiaries of a soda tax,” explains Dr. Harold Goldstein of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, which conducted the study to better understand how the monies will be allocated. “A soda tax would return about $233 per student in the county to programs aimed at protecting the health and well-being of children. That’s a smart investment.”

Local schools will be the biggest winners of a soda tax, with about 60 percent of local funds going to the classroom and an additional 20 percent to help pay for improvements to physical education and provide nutritious school meals. AB 669 also carves out another 20 percent of the local funds to pay for local children’s programs like youth sports and afterschool programs.

To learn more about the study and see how much money would go to your county, visit the CCPHA website at: www.publichealthadvocacy.org/revenuestudy.html