Folks in Telluride Vote on Sugary Drink Tax

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iced soda The town of Telluride, Colorado voted in November 2013 against placing a one cent per ounce tax on sugar

Earlier in the year, the Town Council voted 5-2 to let voters decide if they want to place a tax on sugary drinks sold in Telluride. Sugary drinks would have included regular soda, energy drinks, sports drinks, and packaged sweetened teas and coffees.

The new revenue, roughly estimated between $200,000 and $400,000 annually, would have funded scholarships, physical activity-centered after school programs and gardening programs to educate children on growing fresh vegetables.

This issue was initially proposed by a citizen’s group called the Partnership for Lifelong Active Youth (PLAY). Check out their op-ed in the Telluride Daily Planet to learn more about the soda tax.

In September, Kick the Can launched a Telluride campaign to raise voters’ awareness about the ballot initiative.

Learn more about sugar-sweetened beverage legislation with great resources from ChangeLab Solutions and the Yale Rude Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

See soda tax policies in your state and city