Lawmakers and President Obama have pondered the idea of taxing soda to help pay for overhauling the health care system.
(Jim Young/ Reuters)
ATLANTA - Coca-Cola Co.’s chairman and chief executive, Muhtar Kent, yesterday called the idea of a federal tax on soft drinks, under consideration by Congress and President Obama, outrageous.
“I have never seen it work where a government tells people what to eat and what to drink,’’ Kent said, responding to a question at the Rotary Club of Atlanta. “If it worked, the Soviet Union would still be around.
Lawmakers drafting plans to revamp health care have considered taxes on sugar and soda to help pay the cost. Obama fanned the debate when he told a magazine he is willing to consider taxes on soft drinks. “I actually think it’s an idea that we should be exploring,’’ Obama said in an interview with Men’s Health. “There’s no doubt that our kids drink way too much soda.’’
PepsiCo.’s chief financial officer, Richard Goodman, said such taxes don’t have much chance of going forward because consumers don’t support them.
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