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Second San Francisco Supervisor Authors Soda Tax Proposal

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — A second member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors has introduced a measure to tax sodas and other sugary beverages, almost identical to a proposal offered by another member last month.

Several weeks ago, Supervisor Scott Wiener introduced a tax of two cents an ounce on the distributors of sugary beverages, such as Coke or Snapple. Now Supervisor Eric Mar has proposed a two-cent tax of his own, to reduce consumption of those very same drinks.

Another San Francisco Supervisor Authors Soda-Tax Legislation, Expected To Make It On Ballot

"We're moving very boldly in San Francisco to hold big soda and the sugary drink manufacturers accountable," Mar said.

Mar had already signed on as a co-sponsor of the Wiener measure and Wiener is co-sponsoring Mar's.

"It puts a huge smile on my face because for us to win this campaign we have to have absolute unity at the Board of Supervisors," Wiener said.

The measures are almost identical and each would raise about $30 million a year. Mar said he has been working on his soda tax for a year and would have lost some important pride of ownership without this second proposal.

Both supervisors' proposals will likely be merged into one for next year's ballot. Two-thirds voter approval is needed for the tax to take effect.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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