BOSTON — A proposal to tax sugary drinks in the city of Boston is moving forward after receiving support from city leaders.
District 8 City Councilor Sharon Durkan introduced the idea of a sweetened beverage tax to the Boston City Council on Wednesday.
She believes the tax could help address health problems linked to sugary drinks like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Durkan said the tax could generate 20 to 30 million dollars for Boston annually.
“Like we tax alcohol and tobacco, we’re just having a conversation of whether sugary drinks should be added to that list,” said Durkan.
The tax would fall on distributors but could then be passed down to consumers.
Durkan said the conversation over the idea is just beginning and pointed out that a policy has not been formally designed yet.
“It’s really a tiered system based on how many grams of sugar something has,” she said. “For a lot of people, sugary drinks are standing in the way of them living a healthy life.”
Boston 25 News spoke with consumers who were divided over a sugary drink tax.
“They should,” said Charlie Marino. “They’ll be living longer than we are.”
Some had raised eyebrows over the mention of another tax.
“‘They call it, Taxachusetts. There’s a rule on everything now. That’s just ridiculous. Give us our drinks!,” said Logan Donovan.
A study from Boston University’s School of Public Health looked at the impact of a sugary drink tax in five cities where it’s been implemented, including Philadelphia and Seattle.
“There was a 33 percent increase in prices of sugary drinks and a 33 percent decrease in purchases,” said Associate Professor Justin White.
White believes sugary drink taxes can be effective at reducing people’s risk of certain chronic diseases.
“The average person in Boston drinks the equivalent of a 12-ounce soda per day,” he explained.
The state of Massachusetts tried to enact a sugar tax back in 2017 but failed.
Boston’s proposal will now be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
Lawmakers would have to give Boston the authority to pass a local sugar tax.
Durkan is hoping to hold a hearing in the next month or so and will be inviting a list of experts and other stakeholders to the discussion.
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