Since 2017, a beverage sales tax in Philadelphia has funded the PHLpreK program for 3-and-4-year-olds, and upgraded recreation centers and libraries across the city. Sugar sweetened drinks are taxed 1.5-cents per ounce tax on beverage distribution, including syrups and concentrates. Between 2017 and 2021, the tax has raised $330 million for these programs.
Elizabeth Gaines and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney Talk Soda Tax
Elizabeth Gaines, CEO of the Children’s Funding Project spoke with Mayor Jim Kenney who championed the passage of the tax by the City Council in 2016. He reflected on the strategy to pass the legislation, efforts to overturn it and its positive impact on children. Read Gaines’ interview with Mayor Kenney here.
Our case study provides advocates the details about the efforts to pass the soda tax, including the challenges, keys to success and the results to date.