Doctor proposes soda tax for Multnomah Co. to create jobs

PORTLAND, Ore. - A Portland doctor hopes to convince Multnomah County voters that soda should be taxed a penny per ounce.

Dr. Gregg Coodley's group of supporters plans to gather signatures to get the soda tax proposal on the November ballot.

If put into law, soda lovers like Adrienne King, who drinks Mountain Dew three or four times a day, would pay an extra $3 a week (or more than $150 a year).

"I wouldn't want to pay that (but) I would – I wouldn't stop drinking soda for that, but I don't agree with that," she says.

She and other soda drinkers may not have a choice if a majority of Multnomah County voters see her sugary sweet drink as an untapped resource. Proponents say this soda tax idea isn't just about soda. While they'd like to see kids drink less sugary drinks, the real motivation is job creation.

We're looking at creating over 4,000 jobs," Coodley says.

While half of the soda tax money would go to local schools for PE and after-school programs, Coodley stresses local businesses would get the other half as tax credits for hiring unemployed workers.

"Drink a soda and know that your friend is going to get a job," he says.

The soda tax isn't new, though, and the American Beverage Association, which calls the tax unfair and discriminatory, points out it hasn't been well-received when pitched in other places.

"I'm always willing to support jobs. I don't know if the best way to do it is a one-cent tax on soda," said Kyle Johnson, who is studying to be a health-care administrator. "Hopefully, they can find a better way, a more aligned tax."

But Coodley and others see potential in Portland.

Knowing the soda tax revenue would be used to help create jobs was enough to convince King she can afford a higher-priced Mountain Dew.

"I still wouldn't love it, but if it helped people I'd be all right with it," she said.

The business tax credits would work the following the way:

Companies with less than 400 employees could apply to get a tax credit if they hire an unemployed worker.

The business would get credited $4 for every hour worked in the first three months on the job and $2 an hour for the next nine months.

Companies that hire unemployed veterans would get an even larger tax credit of $5 an hour.