Update: Sugary Beverage Tax Refined for Santa Fe

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After a new policy for a sugary drink tax was proposed by Mayor Javier Gonzales and questioned by the city council, Mayor Gonzales reminded Santa Fe City Council to consider the 2-cent-per-ounce tax to fund preschool education this last Wednesday, January 25th, 2017.

Health is a factor in bringing the tax to the city, but Gonzales’s main idea for the tax revolves around bringing equity in education to the many children in the city that do not have enough preschool slots or teachers, according to Santa Fe Mexican Editorials.

The tax is estimated to bring in as much as $7.7 million a year to help fill the city’s some 966 3-and 4- year-olds that are lacking a high-quality pre-K education.

More conversations with Gonzales about his proposal is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday,  January 29th at the Aspen Community Magnet School.

The City Council plans to hold a public hearing on the tax proposal March 8 and if passed, they will hold a special election to let voters decide on the matter possibly in May of this year.

Mayor Gonzales hopes the tax, if passed in the special election in May, will be in place by the next fiscal year, around July 1st, 2017.

Excess sugar consumption is a major cause of obesity and related diseases, as excessive sugar intake causes increased risk of diabetes, liver and kidney damage, heart disease, some cancers and dental caries. 

In fact, one study found that for each additional 12-ounce soda children consumed each day, the odds of becoming obese increased by 60% during 1½ years of follow-up.

All kids deserve a healthy start for education and health.

To read the past on this policy update, click here, to get involved in the movement to increase health for Latino kids and all kids, click here.

By The Numbers By The Numbers

74

percent

of Latino kids have had a sugary drink by age 2 (vs. 45% of white kids)

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