Existing Soft Drink Taxes
At least 25 states and the city of Chicago have small, special taxes on soft drinks sold in grocery stores and, in some cases, in vending machines. An additional 10 states tax soft drinks (and snacks) only in vending machines. (Taxes applied to soft drinks sold in vending machines are not typically special soft drink taxes, but rather a tax applied to all products sold in the vending machine). Altogether, the states generate well over one billion dollars a year from those taxes.
Unfortunately, existing state taxes are too small to significantly reduce consumption and almost none of the revenues are earmarked for health promotion.
Source: Chriqui JF, Eidson SS, Bates H, Kowalczyk S, Chaloupka FJ. State Sales Tax Rates for Soft Drinks and Snacks Sold through Grocery Stores and Vending Machines, 2007. Data available at http://www.impacteen.org/obesitystatedata.htm.
