Won’t the sugar-sweetened beverage tax hurt the poor disproportionately?
Sugar-sweetened beverages are a discretionary beverage; they are not needed at all. Soft drinks provide no needed nutrients; they simply add calories to the diet. While surveys in New York State, and in NYC show that people with lower incomes and lower educational attainments drink more soft drinks than those with higher incomes and more education, all New Yorkers would save money by making a switch from drinking sugar-sweetened beverages to drinking healthier beverages, such as low-fat milk and tap water.
