The NYC Health Department is proposing a penny-per-ounce tax on non-diet soda, following a Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health study outlining the adverse health effects associated with the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.
What the NYC Health Department failed to mention was the fact that federal money was funneled toward this study to support local legislation, observes ACSH s Jeff Stier after learning that the Fund for Public Health in New York (FPHNY) financed the Mailman study.
Additionally, ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross is skeptical of how effective the penny-per-ounce levy will be at actually curbing obesity. This will dissuade very few people from drinking soda it s merely a means to raise money for the cash-strapped state.