Dear Children's Action Network member,
With just 10 days until the end of the legislative session, lawmakers are making budget decisions that will affect kids for years to come. I'm happy to tell you, your advocacy is working.
With the clock ticking, proposals are now flying fast on how to raise revenue. New revenue is essential to protect the programs and public services that kids and families need. It is going to take strong support from advocates like you to get good proposals to the finish line.
Your action is needed now on two proposals that would raise revenue and help kids stay healthy:
Urge lawmakers to repeal the sales tax exemption for candy, and add a penny-per-ounce tax on soda.
The House tax plan proposes to repeal the sales tax exemption on candy and gum, and use the revenue to protect funding for health care for uninsured kids and adults. Our state loses out on more than $30 million in revenue every year because sweets like candy bars and lollipops are exempt from state sales tax.
House Bill 3204 repeals the sales tax exemption on candy and sweets and adds a penny-per-ounce tax on soda pop.
Candy and soda pop are not food. They rot kids' teeth and they don't nourish kids' growing bodies.
But manufacturers of candy products and soda pop are opposing this smart revenue solution. Corporations protecting their own interests must not be the only voices lawmakers hear.
Tell your lawmakers you support taxing candy and soda pop to fund kids' health and dental care.
The current exemption of candy and soda pop from sales tax just adds an unneccesary incentive to consume products that have no benefit to our kids. Instead we should have policies that help make a healthy choice an easy choice. The repeal of the sales tax exemption on candy, and the addition of a tax on sugar sweetened beverages are smart policies that will do just that.
Eliminating the sales tax exemption on candy would generate $30 million per year in new revenue for our state. The tax on soda would generate about $315 million per year. That's sustainable revenue that can help preserve the programs kids and families are counting on, like Apple Health for Kids.
Thank you for speaking up for kids!
Sincerely,
Jon
Jon Gould, Deputy
Director
800.854.KIDS x19
