MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writer
ATLANTA – Small taxes on soda do little to reduce soft drink consumption or prevent childhood obesity, but larger levies probably would, according to new research.
The study is being released as a recent wave of proposals would raise soda taxes or create new ones on sugared beverages. But they’ll have to be a lot steeper than current taxes, which are generally 4 percent or less, said Roland Sturm, lead author of the new research.
“Small taxes will not prevent obesity,” said Sturm, a senior economist at the Rand Corp. in Santa Monica, Calif.