Philadelphia City Council Members Eye Alternatives To Soda Tax
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It seems less and less likely that Philadelphia city council will pass the mayor's full request for a three-cents-an-ounce soda tax, but members say they are trying to find alternate ways to fund the ambitious programs the tax would pay for.
Even among the three council members who openly oppose the tax, there is strong support for universal pre-K and improvements to parks, rec centers and libraries.
So council members, who didn't want to speak for attribution, say they're trying to cobble together funding alternatives that could well include a soda tax, but not three cents an ounce.
Council president Darrell Clark says it's too high.
"That is a significant tax on sugary products so, I'm a little concerned about three cents."
Mayor Kenney says he's glad members are vetting other possibilities.
"People want to tinker around with numbers and back taxes and use and occupancy and real estate, I mean all over the place."
But he says he's already done the math.
"This is it. In the end, it's three cents and if it's less than three cents, it won't be because I asked for it, it will be because people want less improvement in pre-K and in community schools and in parks and rec."
