WATER

A Majority of Americans Support Taxing

Bottled Beverages to Protect Clean Water
Fact Sheet • October 2010

T he Renew America’s Water campaign is asking Congress for legislation that

would create a dedicated source of federal funding to repair and improve
America’s water infrastructure. Today, America’s aging, leaking pipes are in dire
need of repair and municipalities across the country lack adequate funding to do
so. The Renew America’s Water Fund would finance repairs for existing systems.
It would also provide incentive to improve water management by supporting
new, more sustainable methods such as green infrastructure. Investing federal
money in America’s water infrastructure programs will improve water quality,
protect the environment, create good jobs and ensure safe, reliable water for
generations to come.

Currently, our water infrastructure programs rely on an

unpredictable, highly political appropriations process. The 63 percent of Americans said
Renew America’s Water Fund would instead be supported
by a dedicated funding source free from Washington D.C.’s they favor a bottled beverage
political influence. Food & Water Watch has proposed that
this money come from a tax on bottled beverages such as
tax to support clean water.
bottled water and soft drinks. Beverage companies rely on
municipal water supplies for producing their bottled bever-
ages; therefore, taxpayers subsidize the companies’ profits.
This industry should do its part to protect America’s water.

What Does America Think?

Sixty-three percent of Americans said they favor a tax when
asked: “Do you favor or oppose a one-cent-per-ounce tax
charged to manufacturers of water-based beverages such as
bottled water and soft drinks to fund efforts to protect clean
water supplies?”

Who Is Most Supportive of a Tax?

While a majority of Americans polled were favorable to
the idea, some subgroups were more favorable to the idea
than others. For example, more than half of both younger
people and older people favored the tax. But a higher
percentage of younger people favored the tax than older
people — 71 percent of people under age 50 favored it,
compared to only 53 percent of people over age 50.
 Poll Results
By Age
By Gender
Women Men
By Race
Black White
Conducted by Lake Research Partners, the survey interviewed 1,000 adults living in the United States from June 10 to June 13. Participants who
supported this reform comprised a range of political leanings, ages, geographic locations, incomes and levels of education.
Similarly, women favored the tax more than men. People
with household incomes less than $50,000 favored it more
than people with household incomes greater than $50,000.
People who were unemployed or employed part-time were
more favorable than people who were employed full-time
or retired. People who identified their race as black were
more favorable than those who identified their race as
white — by a significant amount.
Is a Bottled Beverage Tax a
Regressive Tax?
A bottled beverage tax would be charged to the bottler or
importer of the product, not to the consumer. Therefore,
any increase in price would be passed along from the
company and would be determined by them. In addition,
the funds raised by the tax would be used to improve the
quality and affordability of tap water, which already is hun-
dreds of times cheaper than bottled beverages.
By Employment Status
By Income
Less Than $50,000
More Than $50,000
Conclusion
The Renew America’s Water Fund is a necessary step for
protecting our water infrastructure and providing safe and
affordable water for all Americans. Money raised from
a one-cent-per-ounce tax on bottled beverages would
fund thousands of drinking water and sewer infrastructure
projects across the country. It would provide grants and
assistance to small and rural communities. It would fund a
program to improve drinking water quality in our schools.
A clear majority of Americans support this measure to pro-
tect our waters and improve public health.
For more information:
web: www.foodandwaterwatch.org
email: info@fwwatch.org
phone: (202) 683-2500 (DC) • (415) 293-9900 (CA)
Copyright © October 2010 Food & Water Watch