The soda tax started out as Philadelphia’s move to impose a 1.5 cents-per-ounce surcharge on sugary and aerated drinks. It was first introduced in 2014 as a health initiative, but did not come into action until June this year.

Senator Bernie Sanders has spoken against these taxes, calling them “regressive”, considering they’re likely to affect low-income families. President-Elect Donald Trump tweeted that Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was for the tax, which went against her claim to not support taxes on the poor.

The Obama Administration had made it its priority to provide the country with healthier and safer food products. Many of their food policies have been spoken against by the Trump campaign. In September 2016, the campaign released a proposal where they referred to the frequent health inspections carried out on food manufacturers as “overkill”. The sheet, which was later deleted from the campaign website, also referred to the Food and Drug Administration as the “food police”.

Whether or not the tax will have a positive impact is debatable. It will directly influence small business, convenience stores, grocery and their suppliers too. It can also be argued that the Soda Tax may have no link to the growing obesity problem in the States. Since the 1990s, the amount of soda consumed by Americans has decreased by 25% while the rate of obesity still gradually increases.