Citywide soda tax won't reduce consumption

The Sun's editorial states all the reasons a soda tax would be a good thing (“Tax on soda crucial to children’s health,” March 25). It cites Philadelphia's as one of several that might be good to imitate. Unfortunately, a recent study has shown that what has happened in Philadelphia is that those who easily can simply go outside the city to buy soda. The actual decline in consumption is much less that that inferred from the decline in sales within the city.

The report notes several consequences. The health benefits are less than anticipated, the city gets less tax revenue than expected and the tax burden falls most on people who are least able to travel outside the city for their purchases — that would be the poor and those with mobility problems. For a soda tax to work more effectively and fairly, it needs to cover a wider area, a state rather than a city.

I hope both the City Council and state legislature will keep that in mind.

Katharine W. Rylaarsdam, Baltimore