Pepsi has tried to claim that it halted production in Baltimore partly because of the city's tax on bottled beverages ("Pepsi to stop making beverages in Baltimore; 77 to lose jobs," Jan. 11). That is ridiculous.

The tax has to be paid on any beverages sold in the city, regardless of where they were bottled. Moreover, most of it is certainly passed on to consumers.

Pepsi is just trying to avoid taking the heat for cutting jobs in the city and is using the city government as a scapegoat. It's dishonest and tacky.

Katharine W. Rylaarsdam, Baltimore