Philadelphia Expected To Become First Major City To Approve Soda Tax

PHILADELPHIA (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Philadelphia is set to become the first major American city with a soda tax despite a multimillion-dollar campaign by the beverage industry to block it.

The City Council is expected to give final approval Thursday to a 1.5 cent-per-ounce tax on sugary and diet beverages.

Berkeley, California, is the only other city with such a tax. Other proposals have been defeated in more than 30 cities and states.

Two previous efforts to pass a soda tax in Philadelphia also failed.

But Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney sold the council on the idea with a plan to spend most of the estimated $90 million in new tax revenues next year to pay for pre-kindergarten, community schools and recreation centers.

The soda industry is expected to sue if the tax is approved.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg received strong opposition for his proposed city ban on sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces. Bloomberg's plan was ultimately struck down by the courts, that ruled it was an illegal overreach of executive power by the Board of Health.

Last year, New York state Assemblyman Matthew Titone (D-Staten Island) proposed banning the sale of large sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces to minors statewide.

The American Heart Association said people should consume between 25 and 45 grams of sugar a day or less. A 16-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola has 52 grams, and a 20-ounce bottle of Vitamin Water has 32 grams.

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