Not so sweet: B.C. Gets a Pop Tax
The British Columbia government is using a seven per cent tax to make you make better beverage decisions. But study hard because this multiple-choice test isn’t easy.
The tax hits pop. Obvious, right? But it also hits pop that doesn’t have sugar, such as diet pop and fancy pop sweetened with stevia. What about that big caramel-mocha-frampa-cappa-coffee with the quadruple pump of hazelnut syrup and whipped cream with sprinkles? There’s lots of sugar, but no tax. And, for the bonus question, if you’re at the vending machine and pick water, you win, right? Nope – the sugar tax hits that water too.
Here’s the kicker: studies show taxes won’t make you skinnier, but they do make governments a lot of money.
B.C. Finance Minister Carole James announced the new pop tax during the 2020 budget presentation. The sweetened drinks tax will pour $37 million out of taxpayers’ wallets and into the brimming tankards of government.