By just about any standard, beverage taxes fail to deliver on the promises tax advocates promote. There is no wonder why these taxes are wildly unpopular with Illinois residents: They would dramatically increase costs on hundreds of products consumers buy every day; would eliminate jobs and hurt small businesses; wouldn't meet tax revenue estimates advocates typically project; and ultimately would fail to address public health concerns used as justification for the taxes in the first place.

This tax will produce massive increases in the cost of hundreds of common beverages. Because the tax is based on the size of the drink, a 79-cent, two-liter bottle of soda would have 68 cents in new taxes added to the total — an 86 percent tax rate. A gallon of sweetened iced tea would have $1.28 in new taxes added to the cost. And these costs do not include existing sales or local taxes. Some beverages would be taxed more than the cost of the actual product. Despite usually being associated with soda, the tax would be applied to hundreds of products, including teas, lemonades, sports drinks, flavored waters, children’s juice drinks and many other beverage types.

To see the disastrous economic consequences a beverage tax would have, Illinois legislators need to look no further than Philadelphia, where the city recently implemented a similar tax. The negative effects of the tax have been proven to be worse than predicted with major price increases, hundreds of job losses and sales declines. Philadelphia news outlets report beverage sales declining as much as 50 percent. Some manufacturers no longer sell 12-packs or two-liters in the city at all. Hundreds of layoffs and lost working hours have been announced, affecting suppliers, retailers, and small local stores and restaurants.

The effects of a new statewide tax would be devastating. Conservative economic projections predict 19,446 lost Illinois jobs, more than $875 million in lost wages and $1.695 billion in lost economic activity as a result of the tax.

There is no debate this tax is purely designed to create state revenue. But even by this measure it fails to deliver. Recent beverage consumption data and the negative impact of the already-approved Cook County beverage tax have dropped revenue estimates 30 percent below early estimates. Again, Philadelphia’s experience has also shown revenue to fall below projections.

The beverage industry shares the goal of improving public health and has responded to consumer demands for more information and more beverage options. The industry has already committed to initiatives to decrease calorie consumption by 20 percent by 2025 and launched programs to include clear calorie information so consumers can make better choices. These efforts are working as the consumption of full-calorie beverages has fallen for more than a decade.

Throughout the state’s budget stalemate Illinois residents and businesses have already been paying a high price. A new beverage tax not only will dramatically increase costs for working families, it will cost jobs and reduce economic growth. Most importantly it will fail to deliver public health improvement.

Consumers oppose these measures because they feel they are an intrusive overreach into their pocketbooks every time they shop. Lawmakers should reject them as well.

— Claudia Rodriguez is acting executive director of the Illinois Beverage Association and spokeswoman for the Illinois Coalition Against Beverage Taxes.