As his committee weighed a sugar-sweetened beverage tax in February, Rep. Mike Fisher (D-Lincoln) asked a simple question of industry lobbyist Andrew MacLean: Just how much money had the American Beverage Association spent on an ad campaign slamming the proposed tax?

MacLean told the House Health Care Committee chairman he’d get back to him. Then he reversed course, telling lawmakers and the media they’d have to wait until the official reporting deadline this week.

Now we know why.

The beverage industry spent an astounding $606,000 on lobbying and advertising in the first three months of the year as it fought to kill the soda tax.

In that time, according to records provided by MacLean and the secretary of state’s office, the Vermont Beverage Association and the American Beverage Association paid Vermont-based lobbyists $32,000 and $21,000, respectively. The latter group, meanwhile, spent $553,000 on a statewide newspaper and radio advertising campaign.

(Pictured above: Fisher, at head of table, testifies before the Senate Government Operations Committee in March as MacLean, with arms crossed at right, listens.)

“I had no idea how much of a jobs bill this was,” Fisher quipped upon learning the figures. “It’s an impressive amount of money they spent trying to influence our decision on a sugar-sweetened beverage tax.”

And it worked. 

Got something to say?

Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!

Paul Heintz was part of the Seven Days news team from 2012 to 2020. He served as political editor and wrote the "Fair Game" political column before becoming a staff writer.

One reply on “Beverage Industry Spent More Than Half a Million on Soda Tax Ad Blitz”

  1. It’s a crying shame, an excellent way to raise revenue, a completely voluntary tax, and they let the industry win. Really sad day for the constituents of these spineless legislators.

Comments are closed.