How much will the sugar-sweetened beverage tax cost the average New Yorker?
Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages by U.S. adults was about 46 gallons per year per person in 1999-2004. If a person did not change his/her consumption, it’s possible that he/she would spend an additional $59 per year on sugar-sweetened beverages. If one reduced his/her consumption by 10% (as predicted) in response to an increase of one cent per ounce, the cost of the tax would be significantly offset by the savings from purchasing fewer sugar-sweetened beverages. In this case, the net cost impact would be an additional $18 per year. However, if an adult replaced half of his/her average 46 gallons/year intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (-23 gallons) with equal amounts of tap water (+11.5 gallons) and low-fat milk (+11.5 gallons), he/she would save about $100 per year.
