GNYHA/1199 SEIU HEALTHCARE EDUCATION PROJECT STATEMENT ON MODIFIED “SODA TAX” PROPOSAL

“We strongly support Governor Paterson’s modified penny-per-ounce excise tax on sodas and sugared beverages both as a means to curb the growing obesity epidemic and as a credible revenue solution to help close the budget deficit and avoid cuts to vital healthcare funding. It is imperative that the State Legislature give this proposal serious consideration.

Countless studies have demonstrated that sugary drinks like soda are a major cause of obesity and diabetes. Sixty percent of adults and one-third of children in New York State are overweight or obese.

Diabetes, which is a direct result of being overweight, has doubled in New York since 1994, and the New York State Department of Health estimates that by 2050 it will double again. According to the State, the cost of treating diabetes every year in New York is an astonishing $7.4 billion - higher than anywhere else in the country.”

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With 350,000 members in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland and Washington D.C., 1199 SEIU is the largest and fastest growing healthcare union in the country. Our mission is to achieve affordable, high quality healthcare for all.