(Host) Attorney General Bill Sorrell wants the Legislature to impose a new tax on soda to help combat what Sorrell calls a growing obesity crisis in Vermont.
He wants to use the money raised from the tax to finance new initiatives that will provide Vermonters with healthier foods.
VPR’s Bob Kinzel reports.
(Kinzel) For Attorney General Bill Sorrell, the consumption of soda products in Vermont is a key factor in one of the largest health care issues facing the state.
Sorrell says the number of Vermonters who are obese has more than doubled over the past 20 years. It’s estimated that 25% of the state’s adult population is obese and Sorrell says this number could easily reach 40% by 2050.
Sorrell says that’s why it’s critical for the Legislature to aggressively attack this problem:
(Sorrell) "First of all, we do, yes we do recommend that the legislature impose a one cent, at least a one cent per ounce excise tax on so called sugar sweetened beverages…scientists are clear that so called SSBs are a primary cause a very significant cause of our skyrocketing obesity rates…the average Vermont adult right now consumes about 50 gallons a year of sugar-sweetened beverages."
(Kinzel) It’s estimated that the soda tax will raise about $30 million a year. Sorrell wants to use this money to make it easier for people enrolled in the state’s food assistance program to purchase more fruits and vegetables.
He also wants to create a special fund for small retailers to purchase new energy efficient refrigeration units and he wants to expand participation in the school breakfast and lunch programs.
Sorrell says his initiative is also designed to reduce health care costs.
(Sorrell) "The public health expenditures related to obesity, the lost productivity by Vermont employers due to obesity and overweight people is hundreds of millions of dollars a year."
(Kinzel) Sorrell says the tax would initially be imposed on soda but he thinks other unhealthy foods could be targeted in the future.
Jim Harrison is the executive director of the Vermont Grocers Association. He says some of the recommendations are very positive but he says the soda tax puts the state in the position of being "the food police:"
(Harrison) "Taxing certain food and beverage products for purposes of discouraging their consumption really smacks of a nanny state. Consumers should be able to make their own choices in terms of which products they want to purchase and why they want to purchase them and not be influenced by big brother in Montpelier saying ‘well we know best what you should buy and we don’t want you to buy these so we’re going to price them a little bit more’."
(Kinzel) This promises to be a heated issue during the upcoming Legislative session. Coalitions are now forming to support and oppose the plan.
For VPR News, I’m Bob Kinzel in Montpelier.