California city tests waters for soft drinks tax

By Laila Kearney BERKELEY, California (Reuters) - A California city is to consult its citizens on whether to impose a soda tax on sugary drinks, following failed bids by other local governments to pass similar measures. The Berkeley City Council will gauge local voter support for a penny-per-ounce tax - opposed by most of the soft drinks industry but which its backers say could help to curb obesity and diabetes - in an opinion poll next week. Depending on the outcome, it might include a referendum on introducing the tax in a city-wide ballot in November. Other U.S. cities have tried without success to enact such a tax amid a growing national movement to curb the consumption of high-calorie beverages.



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