Opponents are lining up on both sides after state lawmakers unveiled a plan to tax sugary beverages as part of a budget compromise. A Senate bill would require distributors of drinks with five grams of sugar or more to impose a penny-per-ounce tax on retailers.
Opponents from the soft drink industry say the tax will cost jobs and won't improve public health. Supporters, including the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society, say the bill is a step in the right direction toward better health.
The tax would generate five-hundred-60-billion-dollars, but Governor Rauner refused to say if he supports it.
