news Coke, bottler to launch campaign against soda tax: report

[rwilli1]

Coke, bottler to launch campaign against soda tax: report



Tue Sep 29, 11:47 AM

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co and its largest independent bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc, are teaming up on an ad campaign against a possible U.S. tax on soft drinks, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.


The two Atlanta-based companies will launch a print and digital campaign in seven key U.S. markets including Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston, the newspaper said on Tuesday on its website.

There have been increasingly vocal calls for taxes on sugary drinks and junk food to help fight the problem of obesity in the United States.

Since Congress will ultimately decide whether a tax is imposed, the newspaper said the campaign is expected to include political publications and websites in Washington, D.C.

A strongly worded report on child obesity released earlier this month recommended that state and local governments tax junk food and soft drinks, while the American Heart Association said people should limit their sugar intake and said soft drinks were the No. 1 source of added sugars in the American diet.

Citing an interview with Coke Enterprises Chief Executive John Brock, the Atlanta paper said the penny-per-ounce tax that has been suggested would increase the cost of a 12-pack of soda by $1.44. Brock called that "mind-boggling," the paper said.

Officials at Coke and Coke Enterprises were not immediately available to comment.

(Reporting by Martinne Geller, editing by Dave Zimmerman)

[TD52]

why waste there time protesting and having ad's .... coke owns a bunch of stuff California have to haqve...one is there movie industry, second is almost all soft drink the NFL, Baseball all sports teams, about all of the foods besides just junk food, all kinds of industry's that make jobs and make money for the state
just cut them off and boycott all sales and close all there doors in that state
lets then see if the can survive
Texas has more movies and ad's made here than Hollywood and we can use the business we have a lot of room for them and I am sure we would like the money
also sugar is not the problem it is the corn syrup they get to call fruits that is the problem along with the sweeteners that only diabetics need to use no one else
sugar in it's self is not bad unless you shovel it in your body ... and coke is going back to sugar because it is cheaper than using corn syrup and my Dr said that is the worst thing to ever put in your body..if it were made out of fruit then there would be no problem also beat sugar is bad..only cane sugar is safe
it is just a way to find a new tax..they wanted a tax on air but could not figure a way to get that passed