WV Gov. Justice has proposed a plan that would increase taxes on beverages by up to 500%! The tax is not just on pop. It taxes hundreds of beverages like soda, sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit drinks, teas and coffee drinks. Click here to send a letter to your legislator and tell them “no” to increasing the state’s tax on your favorite beverages.

If passed, the price of a typical family two-liter bottle would increase by 20 cents. A 12-pack of soda will be taxed at 72 cents. And a 5-gallon container of fountain syrup would jump from $4 to as much as $24. The tax hikes will force restaurants and grocery stores to raise prices dramatically at a time when many West Virginia businesses and families are struggling to make ends meet.

We should be relieving burdens on small businesses like our favorite neighborhood grocery stores and local restaurants so they can recover, not add to their burdens. A tax like this could force them to lay off workers and even shut their doors. After a year of economic devastation from lockdowns, now would be the worst time to hit small businesses with more costs and working families with higher prices.

West Virginians like you made their opinions known to lawmakers the last time a beverage tax was proposed in 2017. Your voice was heard then, and it can be heard now.