The industry-funded American Beverage Association is leading the opposition the the Richmond soda tax.
When Big Business wants to get its way on a ballot referendum or voter-approved constitutional amendment, it starts to spend big to influence public opinion and flood the airwaves with propaganda.
Take the case of Richmond, California. There, voters will be asked on their November ballots to approve a levy a sales tax on soda products. The Contra Costa Times reports today that the beverage industry is spending $2.2 million to kill the measure:
In Richmond, campaign finance statements released Friday show the pro-Measure N campaign has spent $25,293, a pittance compared with the No on N campaign’s wave of $2.2 million. The anti-tax figure, which some expect to double by Nov. 6, is aimed at turning out about 15,000 voters, the expected number needed to pass or defeat the measure. That comes out to nearly $150 per voter.
That’s not only $150 per voter, it’s also an 87-to-1 spending advantage over tax proponents. Whatever your position is on the soda tax, it’s fair to say voters are not getting a fair debate when one side can outspend the other by that much.
What would you expect? These companies are just as bad as the oil companies and support tghe lieing republicans who will say or do anything to steal the election in Nov.!!!