Tom Hamburger & Kim Geiger, “Beverage industry douses tax on soft drinks,” Houston Chronicle, February 8, 2010

According to this article, pressure from the beverage industry has made policymakers think twice about imposing a tax on sugary beverages, which some have viewed as a way to address both revenue deficits and obesity. The reporters discuss how Congress has handled the issue since the Obama administration indicated an interest in the tax in 2009 and public health advocates testified before a Senate committee urging support for the proposal. They note how a coalition of business interests “operating under the name Americans Against Food Taxes,” quickly mobilized an array of organizations, including the National Hispanic Medical Association, to lobby against the tax.

Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University’s Rudd Center on Food Policy and Obesity, apparently responded to the involvement of health groups in the industry initiative by saying, “It’s all about payback. Public health advocates ran into the same phenomena when seeking to increase taxes on tobacco.” The article reports that while the Hispanic association received beverage industry money, its director contends that it had nothing to do with the decision to join opposition groups that were concerned about the proposal’s effect on minority communities.

The article also notes that the industry has funded peer-reviewed research that disputes a link between soft drinks and obesity and has aggressively criticized findings by other scientists making that link. The American Beverage Association has reportedly targeted Brownell for criticism, claiming that he and others are acting as advocates; an association spokesperson said, “They pick and choose the facts that support their view and they attack anyone who disagrees. It’s scientific McCarthyism.” The authors suggest that the idea of a tax on soft drinks is no longer viable in Congress.