The battle over soda taxes has been bitter and long-running. Advocates argue increasing the price of sugar-laden drinks will reduce consumption and improve public health; for opponents, it is simply another cost for those least able to shoulder it, or an example of government overreach.
For years, research painted a mixed, often confusing, picture of the effectiveness of these taxes, while the soda industry poured millions of dollars into efforts to stop them. But mounting evidence suggests they are having a beneficial effect.
