When we reported on the State Assembly's proposal to add another dollar tax onto cigarettes, making New York's tax the highest state in the land, some wondered, "Why the F can't politicians stand up to the beverage companies and tax soda a meager $.10?" But standing up doesn't really pay in Albany, where you can just keep your seat by taking big campaign contributions from lobbyists. Today the Daily News looks at how the soda tax sausage got unmade, thanks in no small part to State Senator Jeffrey Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester).
According to public records reviewed by the News, "Klein has accepted at least $36,000 in campaign contributions from drink companies and special interest groups tied to the beverage industry since the tax was proposed in December 2008." One source tells the tabloid, "Klein has been instrumental in getting the soda tax off the table. He and the other senators from Westchester were louder than others." Tellingly, Klein was for the soda tax before he was against it, seeing it as a way to generate revenue for property tax relief programs and cut obesity rates. But at some point he changed his tune. It's unclear if that had anything to do with the big dumptruck of money lobbyists parked at his office.
The American Beverage Association spent nearly $900,000 on lobbying in New York last year, up from zero dollars in 2008, the News reports. Of course, correlation does not imply causation! It could very well be that Klein is truly trying "to protect good jobs" in the beverage industry, because if a penny-per-ounce soda tax became law, surely consumers would simply stop drinking the crap, forcing Coke and Pepsi to downsize. It could also be that Klein is just like all the other bought-and-paid-for politicians in America, where this kind of conduct is perfectly legal.
