Seattle soda tax works in curbing consumption, study says

Sales of soda and other sweetened beverages have gone down by 22% since Seattle imposed a tax on them in January 2018. And for the most part, they've stayed down.

That’s according to a new University of Illinois study which examines the effects of the controversial tax.

“This tax is working,” said Jim Krieger, a clinical professor University Washington, in reaction to the study.

He said the tax is having the intended effect: reducing soda consumption.

Krieger added that 47% of all the added sugars in the American diet come from sugary drinks, and have been linked to obesity and other health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.

“Overall, added sugars aren’t that healthy for a person but in particular when they’re delivered through a sugary drink they’re even more unhealthy.”

That’s because the body absorbs sugar from drinks much more rapidly.

The study, which is published in the journal Economics and Human Biology, also looked at Portland where there’s no tax. Sales there declined by 10%.