Boston city councilor proposing sugar tax on sweetened drinks

Boston City Councilor Sharon Durkan is requesting a hearing to propose a tax on sugary drinks in attempt to improve public health and combat obesity.

Durkan says the proposal would be a 1-2 percent tax per ounce depending on the amount of sugar added at the distribution level.

Durkan says 70 percent of Boston teens regularly consume sodas, and she says this is meant to help reduce that.

“I think a lot of people have stated this problem, have stated this problem, have stated this problem,” Durkan said. “But they haven’t come up with a solution, and other cities are actively charging forward to say, ‘how can we reinvest in our communities?’”

Councilor Durkan tells 7NEWS that she is modeling this proposal after similar programs already in place in cities like Seattle and Philadelphia.

If this were to go through the motions and be approved by the city council, it would then have to go to the state legislature in order to take affect in Boston.