Sugar tax on soft drinks will hurt everyone
By Rushdi Mohamed
The latest tax proposal coming out of City Hall is unfair, untimely and will effectively do little outside of drive jobs and business out of Philadelphia. This week, members of the community, business, restaurant and store owners, and local beverage industry representatives gathered to testify in front of the City Council regarding the so-called sugar-sweetened beverage tax.
Mayor Nutter's proposed tax on soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages is not the right approach to solving Philadelphia's budget woes and it definitely won't do anything to curb obesity. Intentionally or not, the tax would have a negative impact on employment that would echo throughout the grocers' markets, convenience stores and the restaurant and beverage industries.
A tax like this would squeeze the budgets of Philadelphia families, and hit low- and middle-class income earners the hardest. Hardworking families are watching every penny, saving in an effort to hopefully one day buy home, car or send their children to college. At a time when Philadelphia is facing more than 10 percent unemployment and struggling through a disastrous economy, raising taxes on grocery items shouldn't be an option.
And truly, it is a slippery slope. After the government reaches into our grocery carts and attempts to dictate, with taxes, what we should or should not eat or drink, what's next on their list? Will they start taxing other items? Philadelphians don't need - and definitely don't want - the City government telling them what to eat or drink.
A tax like Mayor Nutter's will drive business out of Philadelphia into the neighboring communities. Which might be good for them, but it's terrible for Philadelphia restaurant owners, retailers and the beverage industry that support jobs in the area. We need to remain competitive with our surrounding areas so that we can continue to keep the good-paying jobs that we already have and, in the future, ideally be able to add new jobs.
As a member of the Philadelphia business community, I believe I speak for all of us — not just restaurant owners, but corner store owners, sandwich shop owners and the beverage industry here in the city— when I say that this proposal to tax soft drinks and other beverages is bad for business. We all understand that the city budget issues are serious and need to be addressed, but putting the burden of balancing the budget on the backs of hardworking Philadelphia families and businesses is unfair. There has to be a better way.
Mr. Mohamed is owner of Cousin's Markets.
+ Top Story
Mayor Michael A. Nutter has appointed Jamira Burley, former chairperson of the Philadelphia Youth Commission, as executive director. The Youth Commission is a panel of 21 young Philadelphians between the ages of 12 and 23 appointed by the Mayor and City Council.
When these farmers filed their class-action lawsuit in the mid-1990s (Pigford vs. Glickman), they were but acting on what had been known for decades. Namely, that Blacks had always been systematically discriminated against by the USDA.
Philadelphia's African American salon owners and stylists understand the benefits of business networking can provide with everything from starting a business to expanding one. Strategically they have begun to meet with colleagues and industry professionals, and then cultivate those relationships...
Chase Card Services, a division of JPMorgan Chase & Co., awarded The Delaware Financial Literacy Institute (DFLI) with an $82,000 grant to support an educational program focused on expanding the financial literacy of local teachers and the students they serve.
More than 67,000 Comcast and NBCUniversal volunteers across the country will spend Saturday, April 21, 2012, giving back to their communities as they take part in Comcast Cares Day, one of the nation's largest days of corporate volunteerism.
A new Walmart opens at the Aramingo Crossings Shopping Center, bringing 300 new jobs, savings for local shoppers and an increase in tax revenue to support the area's economy. Nonprofit organizations will also benefit from the retailer's ongoing charitable contributions...
Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Skinner has informed the Board of Directors of his decision to retire after 41 years with the Company, effective June 30, 2012. McDonald's Board of Directors elected current President and Chief Operating Officer Don Thompson to succeed Skinner as CEO.
How many good jobs America can provide may depend, according to one ingenious theory, on how close the country can come to following the National Football League's successful attempt at increasing diversity.