SPRINGFIELD, Ill. ? An Illinois lawmaker has introduced a bill that would increase the state?s tax on sweetened beverages a penny per ounce, the Illinois Statehouse News reports. Two years ago, Illinois raised the soft drink tax to 6.25 percent from the previous 1 percent.
Senate Bill 396 would jack the cost of most beverages with added sugar or other sweeteners, such as coffee drinks, soft drinks and sweet iced tea. Supporters say the bill is more about lowering the state?s obesity rate than about raising revenue.
?The low cost of sugary beverages has made it possible for consumers to purchase these beverages at three to eight times the size of when sugary beverages first came on the market,? said Elissa Bassler, Illinois Public Health Institute director. ?Eight- to 12-ounce cans used to be the norm, now 20 ounces are the norm, and it?s possible to find portions as large as half a gallon.?
However, Tim Bramlet, executive director of the Illinois Beverage Association, said that higher taxes on soda won?t cure obesity. ?It?s a very complex problem, and we don?t think taking aim at one very small part of the issue is a way to solve the problem,? he said.
Teresa Drake, manager of a Casey?s General Store, said that habitual drinks of soda, sweet tea and coffee drinks will probably not stop buying the beverages if the cost goes up. ?I think they?ll stop for a little bit but then go right back to buying it, just like they do with anything,? she said.
Bill Fleischli, executive vice president for the Illinois Association of Convenience Stores, said raising sugared drink costs will likely drive residents over the border for their purchases. ?It would make another product people will go across the border to purchase. They already go across for gas, cigarettes and liquor,? said Fleischli.
State Sen. William Delgado sponsored the proposal but even he doesn?t have high hopes for its passage after the state recently hiked its income tax.
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