On January 1, 2018, the City of Seattle began imposing a new tax on the distribu

On January 1, 2018, the City of Seattle began imposing a new tax on the distribution of sweetened beverages (Links to an external site.) https://www.seattle.gov/license-and-tax-administration/business-license-tax/other-seattle-taxes/sweetened-beverage-tax. The tax is 1.75 cents per fluid ounce. The following beverages are excluded from the tax:
• Any beverage in which natural milk is the primary ingredient.
• Any beverage for medical use.
• Any liquid sold for use as a meal replacement or weight reduction.
• Infant or baby formula.
• Alcoholic beverages.
• Any beverage consisting of 100 percent natural fruit or vegetable juice with no added sweetener.
• Any concentrate that the consumer combines with other ingredients to create a beverage.
• Any beverage that contains fewer than 40 calories per 12-ounce serving.
• Sweetened medications such as cough syrup, fever reducer and similar products.
The City of Seattle wants to avoid calling this a sales tax or an excise tax. My questions to you are:
1. Why do you think it is so important for the City of Seattle to avoid calling this a sales tax?
2. Do you agree with this new tax? Why or why not?
3. What do you think the consequences to the ultimate consumer will be?
NOTE: Your reply should be at least 250 words in length (excluding optional references and any quote you decide to include from other sources) and contain original work. Your post will be submitted to the Turnitin Plagiarism Checker.