Democrats Give Liberal Favorite Starbucks Exception to Huge Sugar Tax
Seattle’s leftists lawmakers approved an ordinance last year that imposed a tax on all sweetened beverages, save of course for the lattes consumed by the city’s highfalutin, upper-class elites.
The new tax, which went into effect Jan. 1, specifically added a tax on “sweetened beverages, syrups and concentrates” except for those “that list milk as their first ingredient,” according to The Seattle Times.
This means the fancy lattes enjoyed by Seattle’s Starbucks-sipping liberals get a pass, despite the fact that some of these lattes contain up to 68 grams of sugar.
“Where and when is a sweetened beverage not a taxable sweetened beverage? In Seattle, when the drink is a Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks — 42 grams of sugar in a Venti, the largest size. Or a Caramel Brulée Latte with whipped cream — 68 grams of sugar in a Venti,” the Times explained.
Oh, the irony.
According to a Gallup poll from 2017, “(y)oung adults, nonwhites, and the low-income in the U.S. drink more regular soda than other Americans.”
Conversely, Starbucks’ target demographics include “urban and affluent, often on-the-go white-collar professionals” who are “educated, with an average age of 42, and average income of $90,000,” as noted by The Motley Fool.
See what’s happening here?
Seattle’s leftist legislators — who, like all liberals, pride themselves on being so “progressive” — are targeting minorities and the poor, while simultaneously cutting their well-off supporters a break.
It’s frankly shameful, and the results have been disastrous.
Reason magazine reported this week that this shortsighted, hypocritical bill has engendered massive, across-the-board price increases since taking effect Jan. 1:
“The cost of a typical can of coke is now 20 cents higher. That adds up fast: A typical 36-can case of soft drink is now $7.56 more expensive, nearly doubling the price at many retail outlets.”
The same applies to Pepsi products … except of course for the diet ones reportedly preferred by the city’s upper-class:
Reason also pointed out that after Philadelphia implemented a similar tax last year, Pepsi was forced “to discontinue the sale of 12-packs and 2-liter bottles in the city” and also “lay off some 80–100 of its workers.”
That’s right, folks, nearly 100 lower- to middle-class Americans lost their jobs because of Philadelphia’s tax bill. And wouldn’t you know it, Philly’s tax bill also included a waiver for fancy lattes or other such drinks “that contain more than 50 percent milk,” as noted by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
And just like Seattle, Philadelphia is also a leftist city dominated by highfalutin liberals who appear to think the poor should pay more for their beverages, while their donors shouldn’t.
Just remember, folks, THIS sort of insanity is exactly what awaits each and every single time you vote for Democrats. The moral of the story therefore is to NOT vote for Democrats … ever!
Please share this story on Facebook and Twitter and let us know what you think about the stunning decision by leftist lawmakers in Seattle to exempt Starbucks lattes from their beverage tax.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
