Seattle liberals have been accused of many things, but sanity is not one of them. They are losing their collective minds over the special price tags that Seattle Costco stores are placing on their sugary drinks. Liberals think they are the caretakers of society and try to enforce their will on the people. That is certainly true of the tax they’ve imposed on drinks containing sugar. It’s actually more of a penalty than a tax. With the tax, Seattle has increased the cost of sugary drinks by nearly double. But, Seattle voters have no one to blame but themselves. This Washington state city has become a sanctuary city for deranged liberal politicians and the voters, themselves are to blame.
So, just how has Costco mad liberals angry? On the price tags of sugary drinks, they list two prices. The first is what Costco charges for the item and the second is how much tax you are paying for it. As an example, a 36 pack case of Doctor pepper costs $9.99 and the tax is $7.56 for a total of $17.55. A case of Gatorade 35 count pack is $15.99 and the tax is $10.34 for a total of $26.33.
The Seattle politicians do not regret placing such a high tax on the drinks, they just objject to having the voters’ attention being directed to how confiscatory that tax really is.
Last June, the Seattle city council passed a 1.75 cents per ounce tax on sugary drinks. The tax affects sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, juice and other non-milk based products. Non-milk based drinks include many of those sold at Starbucks and other coffee shops. Diet drinks and those from small distributors are exempt from the tax.
Distributors are required to pay the tax. However, the added cost has been directly passed on to consumers in most cases.
The purpose of the tax, Seattle’s progressive leaders allege, is to help thwart people from purchasing the drinks. Much of the tax will be used to fund programs designed to educate young people on making healthy choices.
If you believe this money is going to education, I would like you to consider buying a tract of land I have in Florida that is surrounded by water…on all six sides.
I have to wonder how many people will buy their sugary drinks in Seattle and how many people will simply spend five bucks on gas to stock up outside the city limits. Imagine how much money you could make by opening a business just outside the corporation limits, where you could sell just gas, cigarettes and sugary drinks, especially if you give a discount for bulk buying. You wouldn’t even need a store, just a warehouse. The profits would be simply amazing. What would Seattle do? Make it illegal to cross city lines with contraband Pepsi?
Insanity reigns supreme in Seattle.