Opponents of the 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on soda and other sweetened beverages approved by the Philadelphia City Council in June spent more than $9 million in an unsuccessful effort to defeat the proposal.
A disclosure report filed by the American Beverage Association says the money for the anti-tax effort came from the Coca-Cola Company, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and Pepsico America's Beverages.
Philadelphians for a Fair Future, which favored Mayor Jim Kenney's proposal, spent more than $2 million. WHYY reports that former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg provided the bulk of the money, about $1.6 million. The American Federation of Teachers union and Kenney's political committee each provided $50,000.The American Heart Association provided an additional $334,000 in support of the proposal.
The tax goes into effect Jan. 1.
