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About Us
Coalition Members
What You Can Do To Help
What Others Are Saying
About Us
Americans Against Food Taxes is a coalition of concerned citizens – responsible individuals, financially strapped families, small and large businesses in communities across the country – opposed to the Government’s proposed tax hike on food and beverages, including soda, juice drinks, and flavored milks. The coalition has twin primary aims: 1) To promote a healthy economy and healthy lifestyles by educating Americans about smart solutions that rely upon science, economic realities and common sense; and 2) To prevent the enactment of this regressive and discriminatory tax that will not teach our children how to have a healthy lifestyle, and will have no meaningful impact on child behavior or public health, but will have a negative impact on American families struggling in this economy.
Regional Coalition Co-Chairs
Nelson A. Eusebio
Northeast Regional Co-Chair
National Supermarkets Association
Jim Smith
Southeast Regional Co-Chair
Florida Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association
Thomas S. Jackson
Midwest Regional Co-Chair
Ohio Grocers Association
Gene Valdez
Southwest Regional Co-Chair
New Mexico Grocers Association
Coalition Members include over 83,000 individual petition signers and the following:
7-Eleven, Inc.
Advantage Vending Equipment
Airgas, Inc.
Alabama Beverage Association
Alabama Grocers Association
Alabama Restaurant Association
Alcan Packaging
ALCOA, Inc.
Alivio Medical Center
Allen Beverages, Inc.
American Advertising Federation
American Airlines
American Bakers Association
American Beverage Association
American Council on Science and Health
American Fuji Seal, Inc.
American G.I. Forum Midwest
American Hotel & Lodging Association
American Wholesale Marketers Association
Americans for Prosperity
Americans for Tax Reform
Archer Daniels Midland Company
Arizona Automatic Merchandising Association
Arizona Beverage Association
Arizona Food Marketing Alliance
Arizona Free Enterprise Club
Arizona Retailers Association
Arkansas Beverage Association
Arkansas Grocers and Retail Merchants Association
Associated Food and Petroleum Dealers
Associated Oregon Industries
Association of Commerce and Industry
Atlantic Bottling Company
Austin Chamber of Commerce
Automated Petroleum
Ball Corporation
Bella Salon & Spa
Bernick’s Beverages and Vending
Beverage Association of Mississippi
Beverage Association of Tennessee
Beverage Association of Vermont
Beverage Truck & Trailer, LLC
BFG Communications
Bowling Centers Association of Wisconsin
Brand Trust, Inc.
Brinker International
Brook & Whittle, LTD
Brooklyn (Kings County) Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Burger King Corporation
California Grocers Association
California-Nevada Soft Drink Association
Can Manufacturers Institute
Canada Dry Bottling Co. of New York
Capital Corporate Gifts
Cargill, Inc.
Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc.
Carol H. Williams Advertising
Carolinas Food Industry Council
Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc.
Chemical Industry Council of Illinois
Chemical Systems
Chesterman Company
Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
Chick-fil-A, Inc.
Chris Woodburn Interiors
Clardy Oil Company
Clark Beverage Group
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. High Country
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United, Inc.
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Fort Wayne, IN
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Minden, Inc.
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Northern New England
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Pottsville, PA
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Winona, MN
Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc.
Coca-Cola Company, The
Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc.
Coca-Cola of West Greenwich, RI
Coin Acceptors, Inc.
Colour 101
Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry
Colorado Beverage Association
Colorado Restaurant Association
Colorado Retail Council
Colorado/Wyoming Petroleum Marketers Association
Connecticut Food Association
Constar, Inc.
Constar International
Corinth Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc.
Corn Products International
Corn Refiners Association
Cornelius
Corwin Beverage Company
Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
Cowan Systems, LLC
Coyote Bait & Tackle
CPF, Inc.
Crown Cork & Seal
Cuban American National Council
Danny and Clyde’s Food Store, Inc.
DAK Americas LLC
Darden Restaurants, Inc.
Data Development Worldwide, LLC
Dawn Food Products, Inc.
Delaware Food Industry Council
Delaware Restaurant Association
Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Dobert Dairy, Inc.
Domino’s Pizza
D.R.A Elks Theatre
Dr Pepper Bottling Company of Dublin
Dr Pepper-Royal Crown Bottling Co.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Enterprise Leasing Company of Georgia
Entravision Communications
Erie Neighborhood House (Chicago)
ES Consultants, Inc.
Firehouse Restaurant Group, Inc.
First Choice Vending
Florida Beverage Association
Florida Chamber of Commerce
Florida Dairy Products Association
Florida Maritime Leadership Coalition
Florida Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association
Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
Food Industry Alliance of New York State
Food Industry Association Executives
Food Industry Association of New York
Food Marketing Institute
G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers
GALOS Corporation
Georgia Agribusiness Council
Georgia Association of Convenience Stores
Georgia Beverage Association
Georgia Chamber of Commerce
Georgia Food Industry Association
Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Georgia-Pacific Packaging, LLC
Georgia Restaurant Association
Georgia Retail Association
Glacéau
Global Closure Systems OBRIST Americas
Graham Packaging Company, LP
Grand Theatres
Graphic Packaging International, Inc.
Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co., The
Great Dane Trailers
Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce
Gristedes Supermarkets
Grocery Manufacturers Association
Hammer Packaging Corp.
Hardee’s – Citronelle, AL
Hispanic Alliance for Prosperity
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
Hispanic Federation
Hispanic Institute, The
Hispanic Media Council
Hixson Architects and Engineers
Hoosier Beverage Association
Hoover Enterprises, Inc.
Iconoculture, Inc.
Idaho Soft Drink Association
Ignition, Inc
Illinois Association of Convenience Stores
Illinois Beverage Association
Illinois Chamber of Commerce
Illinois Food Retailers Association
Illinois Manufacturers’ Association
Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association, The
Illinois Retail Merchants Association
Independent Bakers Association
Independent Buyers’ Co-op
Indiana Grocery and Convenience Store Association
Indiana Restaurant Association
Indiana Retail Council
Inmar
Insignia Promotions
Institute for Liberty
International Dairy Foods Association
International Dairy Queen, Inc.
International Paper Company
Invista
Iowa Association of Business and Industry
Iowa Beverage Association
Iowa Wholesale Distributors Association
Jack Nadel International
Jack in the Box
Jesse White Tumbling Team
KAGRO International
Kansas Beverage Association
Kansas Chamber, The
Kansas Food Dealers Association
Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association
KDM POP Solutions Group
Kentucky Association of Convenience Stores
Kentucky Beverage Association
Kentucky Grocers Association
Kentucky Hotel and Lodging Association
Kentucky Restaurant Association
Kentucky Retail Federation, Inc.
Ketchikan Soda Works
Kwik Trip, Inc.
Kreiger Fuel Service Inc
L & E Bottling Company
Lakeshore Oil Co.
Lakeside Pepsi-Cola
Lancer Corporation
Latin American Association
Latin Chamber of Commerce of the United States, The
Latino Coalition, The
Latino Council on the Media
League of United Latin American Citizens
LinPepCo Partnership
Little Village Chamber of Commerce
Logan Luxury Theatres Corp.
LoDan Electronics, Inc.
Louisa Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
Louisiana Beverage Association
Louisiana Retailers Association
Mack II, Inc.
Maine Beverage Association
Maine Grocers Association
Maine Merchants Association
Maine Restaurant Association
MANA, A National Latina Organization
Manufacture Alabama
Maryland Retailers Association
Maryland State Licensed Beverage Association
Maryland Unified Licensees Beverage Association
Massachusetts Beverage Association
Massachusetts Food Association
McDonald’s
McKenzie Oil Company, Inc.
MD/DC/DE Beverage Association
MDI Group
MeadWestvaco Corporation
MEI, Inc.
Meridian Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
Mexican American Grocers Association
Michigan Chamber of Commerce
Michigan Distributors & Vendors Association
Michigan Food and Beverage Association
Michigan Grocers Association
Michigan Restaurant Association
Michigan Retailers Association
Michigan Soft Drink Association
Mid-Atlantic National Association of Theatre Owners
Mid-Atlantic Petroleum Distributors’ Association
Mid-States National Association of Theatre Owners
Mid-Wisconsin Beverage, Inc.
Midwest Dairy Foods Association
Midwest Food Processors Association
Minges Bottling Group
Mini Mart of Garden, Inc.
Minnesota Beverage Association
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
Minnesota Grocers Association
Minnesota Lodging Association
Minnesota Restaurant Association
Minnesota Retailers Association
Mississippi Automatic Merchandising Association
Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association
Missouri Beverage Association
Missouri Retailers Association
MJKL Enterprises, LLC.
Montana Beverage Association
NAACP Chicago Westside Branch
NAACP Milwaukee Branch
NAACP New York State Conference
Nan Ya Plastics Corp Americas
National Association of Concessionaires
National Association of Convenience Stores
National Association of Hispanic Publications
National Association of Manufacturers
National Association of PET Container Resources
National Association of Theatre Owners
National Association of Theatre Owners California/Nevada
National Association of Theatre Owners of New York State
National Automatic Merchandising Association
National Confectioners Association
National Council of Chain Restaurants
National Grocers Association
National Hispana Leadership Institute
National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators
National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts
National Hispanic Leadership Agenda
National Hispanic Medical Association
National Latino Education Institute (Chicago)
National Puerto Rican Association
National Restaurant Association
National Retail Federation
National Supermarket Association
National Taxpayers Union
Nebraska Beverage Association
Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Nebraska Retail Federation
Nehi Bottling Company of Cleveland, MS
Nei Bottling Group, Inc.
Neighborhood Market Association
New England Convenience Store Association
New Hampshire Grocers Association
New Hampshire Soft Drink Association
New Jersey Beverage Association
New Jersey Food Council
New Jersey Gasoline – C-Store – Automotive Association
New Mexico Beverage Association
New Mexico Grocers Association
NFIB/Colorado – Wyoming
Niles Chamber of Commerce and Industry
North Carolina Beverage Association
North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association
North Carolina Retail Merchants Association
North Carolina Wholesalers Association
North Dakota Grocers Association
North Dakota Hospitality Association
North Dakota Retail Association
North Dakota Petroleum Marketers Association
The NPD Group, Inc.
The NutraSweet Company
Ohio Association of Convenience Stores
Ohio Association of McDonald’s Operators
Ohio Automatic Merchandising Association
Ohio Chamber of Commerce
Ohio Corn Growers Association
Ohio Council of Retail Merchants
Ohio Grocers Association
Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association
Ohio Manufactuers’ Association, The
Ohio Restaurant Association
Ohio Soft Drink Association
Oklahoma Beverage Association
Orangeburg Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative
Oregon Soft Drink Association
Origen Partners
Original Roadhouse Grill
Owens-Illinois, Inc.
Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Co.
Pace Global Energy Services
PE-USA
Pennsylvania Beverage Association
Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association
Pennsylvania Restaurant Association
Pepsi Bottling Group
Pepsi Bottling Ventures
Pepsi Northwest Beverages
PepsiAmericas, Inc.
PepsiCo, Inc.
Pepsi-Cola & National Brand Beverages
Pepsi-Cola of Florence, LLC
Pepsi-Cola of Rochester, MN
Pepsi-Cola Bottlers Association
Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Atmore
Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Central VA
Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Hastings
Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Hickory, NC
Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of LaCrosse
Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Logansport
Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of New York
Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Pipestone, MN
Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Roxboro, NC
Pepsi-Cola Decatur, LLC
Pepsi-Cola Dr Pepper Bottling Co.
Pepsi-Cola of Northeast Wisconsin
Pepsi-Cola of Topeka
Pilsen Neighbors Community Council
Pioneer Supermarket
Pizza Ranch, Inc.
Planet Sub
Plexus Corp.
Plastic Recycling Corporation of Califonia
Portland Bottling Company
Presence From Innovation, LLC
Pretzel Twister, The
Primus Software Group
ProSys
Pyramid Consulting, Inc.
Quail Mountain, Inc.
Quality Retail Services, Inc.
Rainey Cawthon Distributors, Inc.
Red Bull North America, Inc.
Refreshment Services, Inc.
Rehrig Pacific Company
Reliant Gases
Restaurant Association of Maryland
Retail Merchants of Hawaii
Rexam, Inc.
Rhode Island Beverage Association
Rocky Mountain NATO
Ron’s Towing, Inc.
Roquette America, Inc.
Sacramento Coca-Cola
Salt Institute
SandenVendo America, Inc.
Santoni’s Super Market
Schroeder America
Secure America’s Future Economy (Delaware)
Semi Bulk Systems, Inc.
Seneca Wholesale Co., Inc.
SER-Jobs for Progress National, Inc.
Shepherd and Goldstein
Sherm’s Thunderbird Markets, Inc.
Simkins Industries
Small Business Action Committee
Snack Food Association
South Carolina Beverage Association
South Carolina Retail Association
South Central States National Association of Theatre Owners
South Dakota Beverage Association
Southeast National Association of Theatre Owners
Southeastern Container, Inc.
SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association
State Chamber of Oklahoma, The
Stone Theatres, LLC
Streva Distributing Co. of New Iberia, Inc.
Summit Marketing
Sun Drop Bottling Co.
Sunny Delight Beverages Co.
Swire Coca-Cola
Swire 7-Up/Dr. Pepper
Swire Coca-Cola, Flagstaff, AZ
Swire Coca-Cola, Safford, AZ
Swire Coca-Cola, LaGrande, OR
Swire Coca-Cola, Union, OR
Swire Coca-Cola, Clinton, UT
Swire Coca-Cola, Draper, UT
Swire Coca-Cola, Midvale, UT
Swire Coca-Cola, Price, UT
Swire Coca-Cola, Riverton, UT
Swire Coca-Cola, Salt Lake City, UT
Swire Coca-Cola, Sandy, UT
Swire Coca-Cola, Taylorsville, UT
Tate & Lyle
Teamsters Local Union 245
Teamsters Local Union 812
Teamsters Local Union 1199
Temple Bottling Company
Temple-Inland, Inc.
Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association
Texas Association of Manufacturers
Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce
Texas Beverage Association
Texas Grocery and Convenience Association
Texas Roadhouse
Texas Travel Industry Association
Theatre Owners of Indiana
Towerwall, Inc.
ULDQS, Inc.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute
U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce
Utah Beverage Association
Utah Food Industry Association
Varsity Beverage
Venmart, Inc.
Vermont Grocers’ Association
Virginia Automatic Merchandising Association
Virginia Beverage Association
Virginia Chamber of Commerce
Virginia Manufacturers Association
Virginia Wholesalers and Distributors Association
Visstun
Vitro Packaging, LLC
Voy Theatres
Walton Beverage Company
Washington Soft Drink Association
Weaver Consolidated, Inc.
Welch’s
Wendco of Central PA
Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, Inc.
West Virginia Beverage Association
West Virginia Oil Marketers and Grocers Association
Western Kentucky Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc.
Western Container Corporation
Will Robertson, Inc.
Wilson Corporation
Wisconsin Automatic Merchandising Council
Wisconsin Beverage Association
Wisconsin Grocers Association
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce
Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association
Wisconsin Restaurant Association
Wisconsin Retail Council
WP Beverages, LLC
WS Packaging
Wyoming Beverage Association
Yum! Brands, Inc.
What You Can Do To Help
· Sign up to support Americans Against Food Taxes by clicking here.
· Write your legislator and tell them you don’t want more taxes by clicking here.
· Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
“My concern with a tax like that is it would disproportionately impact middle- and working-class families. It’s already difficult for a lot of families to afford the groceries they need, and this would make it even harder for them. I think that’s why it does not seem to be on the table any more as a way to partially pay for health care reform.” – Rep. Joe Donnelly, WSBT South Bend, 9/30/09
“Most reasonable people agree that new taxes on any product are counterproductive. New taxes are regressive and tend to impact those who can least afford to pay more for products and services they need or enjoy. New taxes stifle economic growth, which is especially unhelpful as our state and nation continue to recover from the economic crisis. And there’s no evidence that new taxes will help reduce obesity: The two states that have imposed excise taxes on soft drinks have some of the highest obesity rates in the nation.” – Tony Crisci, PA Beverage Association, letter to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/27/09
“In today’s economy, retailers, like hard-working families, are also struggling. They are working hard to provide food and beverages at an affordable price to their customers. Families likewise need to provide food for their families at a price that they can afford. Adding the additional burden of a tax to cart items that we all enjoy hurts us all.” – Tom Saquella, President, Maryland Retailers Association in a letter to the Baltimore Sun, 9/24/09
“The suggestion of a 12 cent per can tax for any beverage with caloric sweeteners is not backed by science to support that this would have a measurable impact on obesity. In fact, in West Virginia and Arkansas, two states that have an excise tax on soft drinks, their obesity ranking remains the fifth and sixth highest in the nation.” – Julie Feldman, RD, Ph.D, commenting on a Consumer Reports blog on soda taxes, 9/22/09
“The tax code shouldn’t be a tool for social engineering. Nor should it be an instrument for penalizing individuals who make food choices that some people in government don’t like.” – J. Justin Wilson, Senior Research Analyst, Center for Consumer Freedom, CNS News, 9/18/09
“The State is injecting itself more and more into our private lives, and no one seems to care. Every time government announces some new program, law or control, we think, “Okay, this time, the government will finally have all it wants.” But like a drug addict, it never does. Let’s remember, this has nothing to do with “protecting” the public and everything to do with controlling it. Bureaucratic regulation is a game of gradualism. It always begins as something small – a warning, a particular sugar content limit. Then it becomes a tax. In some cases, it becomes an outright ban, or a government takeover. All in the public interest, of course.” – The Examiner, 9/18/09
“…taxing people into choices is fraught with challenges and hazards.” – Dr. David Katz, director of medical studies in public health at Yale University, ABCNews.com, 9/17/09
“If your goal is to reduce obesity, this won’t work, because most people won’t stop drinking soda. You can’t change people’s taste buds.” – Richard Williams, managing director of the regulatory studies program and government accountability project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, ABCNews.com, 9/17/09
“I have never seen it work where a government tells people what to eat and what to drink. If it worked, the Soviet Union would still be around.” – Muhtar Kent, Bloomberg Today, 9/14/09
“I’ve heard of sin taxes, but it’s a sad day when drinking soda is a sin.” – Rep. Hensarling (R-TX), on Fox News “Your world with Neil Cavuto,” 9/8/09
“There’s no more personal choice than how Americans choose to spend their hard-earned money and then the choices they make on the foods and beverages they consume. When the government tells people what foods and beverages they should eat or drink, that crosses a line for many people.” – Kevin Keane, Business Wire, 9/8/09
“Taxes only work so far to get people to change behavior.” – Christopher Boyce, VirginHealthMiles CEO, Fox News Business, 9/1/09
“There’s an overt classism…They shouldn’t have so much fun. They’re lazy. They should eat lentils instead of French fries. That’s kind of horrible,” – Adam Drewnowski, Director of the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington,Washington Post’s “The Checkup,” 8/11/09
“Lawmakers should be looking at cutting the budget, not adding taxes. Businesses don’t need another reason for people not to buy an item in this economy. Small businesses, your mom-and-pop stores, are already fighting.” – Bonnie Bochniak, Director, Government Relations, Michigan Food and Beverage Association, The Muskegon Chronicle, 8/8/09
“The tax also discriminates against citizens who enjoy these products, and in a free society, we deserve to be free of the government telling us what is and isn’t healthy and what we can and can’t consume.” – Jeff Ivey, Merritt Island resident in a letter to Florida Today, 8/2/09
“The federal tax on soda is one of the worst ideas to come out of Congress to solve the obesity problem in this country…This soda tax is a nanny tax. Next it will be candy bars, potato chips, ice cream, pastries, and who knows where it will stop? We all understand the budget crunches the government is dealing with, but taxing soda won’t solve anything. It will just make people more irritated with the government.” – Editorial, The News-Press (Ft. Meyers, Fla.), “Editorial: Federal soda tax is a bad idea,” 7/17/09
“The last thing American families need right now is higher grocery prices, and consumers should be concerned that when Congress targets one food product for a tax, other items in the grocery cart are at risk of being taxed to pay for the next thing. Families need some relief in their grocery bills right now, not a greater burden with higher taxes” – Barbara McConnell, President of the Food Industry Association Executives, CSP Daily News, “New Group Opposes Soda Tax,” 7/13/09
“Our customers and our businesses are already struggling to survive in this recession… We simply cannot afford more government regulation in the form of new taxes on foods and beverages sold by supermarkets and enjoyed by everyday Americans.” – Nelson A. Eusebio, Exec. Director of National Supermarket Association, Regional Co-chair of Americans Against Food Taxes, CSP Daily News, “New Group Opposes Soda Tax,” 7/13/09
“This is terrible tax policy to go after [a] very specific, almost laser-like focus that isn’t across the board… It’s bad for the people because it’s regressive, and the small-store owners and small-business owners would be impacted as well.” – Rep. Michael McMahon (D-N.Y.) The Hill, “GOP, tax groups criticize tax on rich,” 7/11/09
“Many congressional democrats are opposed to the “sugary” tax and rightfully so. First, the idea just sounds ridiculous. Can we seriously justify taxing coco-cola in order to pay for my broken leg ?” – Ryan Witt, Opinion, The Examiner, “Democrats debating taxing soft drinks in order to fund health care bill,” 7/7/09
“Taxes on beer, soda, juice and snack food — along with new limits on charitable contributions — have all been proposed. But actually they’re a drop in the bucket relative to the amount of new taxes that would be required to fund their plan. I’d like to know when will we draw the line and try something other than new taxes and massive new government spending to solve the problem. Americans want health care reform. But most of them don’t want to be saddled with mountains of new debt.” – Sen. John Kyl, CSPAN2, 6/23/2009
“We do not serve the public well by giving them the notion that one beverage – soda – is the reason they have steadily gained weight. Rather than singling out an individual food, beverage or ingredient, I urge our government to promote healthier lifestyles.” Dr. Liz Applegate (director of sports nutrition at UC Davis) just-drinks global news “Focus: US soft drinks sector in policy dogfight” Story by Ben Cooper. 6/18/09
“No, for two reasons. One, it’s a nuisance tax. Number two, it — at least for Republicans, we think that money saved on health programs or money raised on taxes within health programs ought to be the sole source of offset for health care reform. Democrats feel differently about it, but I don’t think it includes a tax on sugar…getting back to the soda tax, I said it was in one of our option papers. Understand that that was not an endorsement by Senator Baucus and me as we put the paper together of that form of taxation.” – Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), CQ Transcriptions, LLC. “Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, Holds a News Teleconference.” In response to a question about whether a soda tax should be implemented to fund healthcare reforms. 6/16/09
“Get real. First, given the track record of the federal government on health care, believing that having Uncle Sam tax our Dr. Peppers will resolve the mess is like believing that Al Franken is going on a hunting trip with Dick Cheney.” – Times Record News, 6/7/09
“I think those are nuisance taxes. Nuisance taxes, not health care taxes.” – Sen. Grassley (R-IA), CNBC, 6/4/09
“By reaching into Americans’ grocery carts, Congress and the president would be resorting to regressive taxation, as the burden of these beverage taxes would disproportionately fall on those earning less. Congress should be looking for ways to cut spending rather than trying to raise taxes on the middle class.” – Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, USA Today, 6/4/09
“The reality is that a soft drink tax is simply the wrong public policy.” – Susan Neely, President and CEO, American Beverage Association, in the Huffington Post 6/3/09
“The soda tax also lacks the fizz to address the obesity problem.” – Associated Content, 5/28/09
“Obesity is a complex issue that won’t be solved with a tax hike on regular soft drinks.” – The Clarion Ledger, 5/26/09
“That’s a hefty tax and it’s not something I would support. I just think it sets a bad precedent. Where do you draw the line? It’s better to scrutinize the policy we’re developing; we really have to look at how we are going to achieve savings.” – Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Sun Journal, 5/23/09
“… Can’t you find some savings out of that enormous sum before you start hitting us with more of these taxes?” – Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), NPR transcript, 5/22/09
“I don’t believe we need to tax one penny more to fix health care in this country.” – Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), Julie Rovner show, NPR, 5/22/09
“If you came up with a list of the top 200 things in this nation that could be taxed, this administration wouldn’t miss any of them.” – U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), Atlanta Journal Constitution, 5/19/09
