Former Philadelphia Controller Alan Butkovitz spoke about the beverage tax on WURD Radio on Tuesday, March 20 saying that the tax is hurting businesses and not going to Pre-K and rebuild playgrounds as promised.
Philadelphia Controller Rebecca Rhynhart reported that the controversial beverage tax likely brought in $6.5 million in revenue in January. Opponents of the tax have said that the tax is is not sustainable and shoppers will go out of the city to buy beverages. Mayor Kenny called it "misleading and inaccurate." Butkovitz says the controller's report is accurate and the money is going into a general fund and only a quarter of the funds are currently going to Pre-K.
"It's causing a threat to the availability of supermarkets as food distribution centers in the inner city," Butkovitz said. "Only 10 years ago it was seen as a major crisis in the city that we didn't have full service supermarkets. Now you have ShopRite operating at 52nd and Parkside and really energizing the whole community and somebody has switched the script on them. They are put in the position of losing money in stores and potential bankruptcy because they took the city of Philadelphia at its word that it was an objective of ours to get full service supermarkets throughout Philadelphia."
Listen to the WURD broadcast below.
Philadelphia Controller Rebecca Rhynhart reported that the controversial beverage tax likely brought in $6.5 million in revenue in January. Opponents of the tax have said that the tax is is not sustainable and shoppers will go out of the city to buy beverages. Mayor Kenny called it "misleading and inaccurate." Butkovitz says the controller's report is accurate and the money is going into a general fund and only a quarter of the funds are currently going to Pre-K.
"It's causing a threat to the availability of supermarkets as food distribution centers in the inner city," Butkovitz said. "Only 10 years ago it was seen as a major crisis in the city that we didn't have full service supermarkets. Now you have ShopRite operating at 52nd and Parkside and really energizing the whole community and somebody has switched the script on them. They are put in the position of losing money in stores and potential bankruptcy because they took the city of Philadelphia at its word that it was an objective of ours to get full service supermarkets throughout Philadelphia."
Listen to the WURD broadcast below.
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