Similar to DC’s proposed soda tax (written about extensively on this blog, such as here), Baltimore City had proposed a bottle tax.
This seems to be a sales tax, rather than an excise tax, because beverage bottles are not of uniform size and “The [Baltimore City] administration has insisted that the bottle tax — which would exempt milk, juice and two-liter containers, would not unduly burden on residents.”
Revenue from the DC soda tax is righteously targeted to towards helping mitigate the chronic health problems that increased sugar-sweetened beverage intake both causes and magnifies, particularly among its most vulnerable consumers: children living in low-income areas (for example, Wards 7 and 8).
Meanwhile our neighbors, in East Baltimore (socio-economically similar to Wards 7 and 8), express their support for the Baltimore City “bottle tax” as a way to save city services.
In Baltimore City, it is unclear if the revenue from these taxes would go towards helping consumers via social (city) services. In DC, however, it is clear (or much clearer) that the taxes would directly reach consumers by means of the DC Healthy Schools Act. This momentum needs to be seized. It was not in Baltimore City (interestingly, however, as the Baltimore City Council may end up re-considering the bottle tax). Today people are going to express their support for the soda tax to the DC City Council. But more rallying can always be done.
A May 19th Baltimore Sun article reports that the bottle tax in Baltimore City was ‘canned’ (pun intended, I think); and the Baltimore City Council would find new ways to address it’s substantial budget deficit.
Meanwhile, children and adults alike walk around in Baltimore and DC quenching their thirst amidst Maryland’s humid days. Heck, non-diet soda is cheap and better yet, it tastes good. But maybe one of the reasons it tastes so good is because our tastes are not used to eating vegetables and fruits? And one of the reasons this may be the case and why decreased vegetable and fruit and food consumption outside of the home has concurrently increased is because to many it makes economic (and tasty!) sense.
As the pictures above convey, the soda and bottle taxes in DC and Baltimore City, respectively, also make sense. For it is not us who has consciously changed our tastes and food preferences, it’s the food environment that has changed our taste and food preferences. Thus, we must hold our society and environment responsible as a critical partner in helping to reclaim our diets and restore our health that have slowly and sub-consciously been taken from us.
And with that I leave you with some food for thought: did you know Baltimore City and Baltimore County used to have a beverage tax starting in 1989?
