date:Jan 18, 2013
of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP.
Recent efforts to tax soft drinks have foundered in at least 30 U.S. states. The federal government rejected an attempt in 2011 to bar purchases of sugared drinks with food stamps.
In Europe, a sugar tax in Denmark was abandoned in November after a fat tax was criticized for raising prices and droving consumers to shop in neighboring countries like Germany.
Soft-drink makers say their products contribute 7% of calories to the average daily diet in the U