Gov. Ducey signs bill barring Arizona cities from taxing sugary drinks
Mar 16, 2018, 1:12 PM
PHOENIX — Arizonans who like to indulge in a nice, cold soda will not have to worry about paying more for it.
Gov. Doug Ducey signed House Bill 2484 on Friday, barring Arizona cities and counties from joining a growing national trend of taxing sugary drinks.
The bill, which was introduced by Rep. T.J. Shope (R-Coolidge), was signed without comment.
Shope’s proposal doesn’t specifically mention taxes on sugary drinks, only saying any tax on food products must be uniform.
But testimony from a supermarket industry lobbyist industry made it clear that’s what the bill is all about.
Tim McCabe of the Arizona Food Marketing Alliance told House Ways and Means Committee members last month that it was not government’s role to use taxes to influence consumer behavior.
There was no sign any Arizona city or county is currently considering taxing soda and other sugary drinks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
