Maryland lawmakers will be asked to sweeten the state’s coffers by adding a tax on sugary drinks projected to raise nearly $500 million annually That also includes syrups, powders, and artificially sweetened. That might be a debate worth having But let’s not pretend that such a poorly targeted bill is about public health It’s really about how the state plans to increase taxes and how much revenue it intends to raise. The for our kids act (house bill 1469) aims to tax distributors for selling sugary drinks, syrups, and powders to retailers starting in july 2026
The proposed tax would be 2 cents per ounce for beverages, while syrups and powders would be taxed based on the amount of drink they can produce. Taxing drinks with added sugar Delegate emily shetty, a democrat from montgomery county, says the tax would lead to better health among marylanders This bill is a public health bill, said shetty. The bill would go into effect on july 1 if passed The tax rate would also increase two years from then and each year after that based on inflation.
