PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Philadelphia could soon become the first major U.S. city to adopt a tax on sugary drinks.
Mayor Jim Kenney proposed a 3-cent-an-ounce tax on soda and other sugary beverages to pay for universal prekindergarten, community schools and park improvements.
The City Council is scheduled to take a key vote Wednesday on what is expected to be a compromise measure.
The soda industry has fought the proposal with millions of dollars in advertising.
Some critics have said the tax would hit the poor the hardest. The first-term mayor contends the poor would be among its main beneficiaries.