Soda Is About To Get Pricier For Another 5 Million Americans

Big Soda just had a really tough week.

First, voters in Boulder, Colorado, and in three cities in California approved new local taxes on soda on Election Day. Then, on Thursday, the board of commissioners in Illinois’ Cook County ? which includes Chicago ? moved to approve a tax of 1 cent per ounce on soda and other sugary beverages.

The tax, set to take effect July 1, will affect all 5.2 million residents of Cook County, the largest jurisdiction to pass a soda tax thus far.

Cook County’s move completes a five-for-five sweep for soda tax advocates this week.

Advocates say the taxes will reduce consumption of sugary drinks and slash health care costs associated with heart disease, obesity and diabetes. At the same time, supporters say, the new taxes will raise revenue for struggling municipalities, like Cook County, that need to balance their budgets.

In a statement, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said the projected revenue from the soda tax — an estimated $224 million per year — “will allow us to avoid damaging cuts in the funding for public health and public safety” and should play “a positive role in important health issues that impact many of our residents.”

Billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who fought unsuccessfully for a citywide soda “ban” and bankrolled tax proponents’ efforts in other cities, issued a similar statement, calling the vote “a major victory for American public health ? and a very encouraging sign of things to come.”