The cost of a bottle or can of pop may go up in Illinois.
A bill introduced to the Illinois General Assembly proposes a tax on any bottled sugar-sweetened beverages, syrups, or powders.
According to the General Assembly, the tax would cost an extra 1-cent per ounce of a bottle of soda.
The purpose of the tax would be to promote healthy living in the state. According to the bill, a study found that if the tax were enacted, there would be a 23-percent reduction in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.
Money raised from the tax would be distributed into the Illinois Wellness Fund and into the Illinois Medicaid program. Money in the Illinois Wellness Fund would be used for health studies, health and wellness education, training for programs led by health departments, and the like.
Read Senate Bill 3524 – click here.
If approved, the law would take effect January 1, 2015.