Seattle's sweetened beverage tax passes City Council and heads to mayor
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray is scheduled to sign off on a new tax for sugary drinks Tuesday. The City Council passed the bill earlier this week.
There was a long applause from supporters after the bill passed.
The legislation calls for a tax of 1.75 cents per ounce on non-diet drinks like soda pop. It would fund health and education programs for children and also go toward food banks, among other things.
But not everyone shared excitement for the bill's passage. People like Jennifer Cue, owner of Seattle-based Jones Soda Company, opposed the legislation at the meeting.
Cue said the tax isn't fair.
"Nor do we think the mayor and City Council have thought through the ramifications of this proposed tax on small businesses like ourselves," she said.
Diet and handcrafted drinks like Frappuccinos from Starbucks are exempt from this tax for now.
The city performed an analysis that said this tax could have disparate impacts on people of color and low-income communities.
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Angela Nhi Nguyen
Reporter
Angela describes KUOW as her "radio womb." She started out in the station's youth program, RadioActive, and has continued to tell stories over the airwaves ever since. She currently is a mentor for RadioActive and also serves as a general assignment news reporter. Over the years, Angela has received awards for her work including a regional Edward R. Murrow Award, two PRNDIs, and a Korva Coleman Excellence Award. She was also part of NPR's Next Generation Radio Project. Angela worked at Northwest Public Radio for three years as an announcer/assistant producer for the local All Things Considered. She was a freelance reporter for Northwest News Network and even made it onto the national newscast a couple times as a teenager. She has one year left at Washington State University. Angela loves telling anecjokes (anecdotes with cheesy twists) and petting her cats that she's furry allergic to.
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