[vendtalk] A different approach - Florida re-introduces proposed 6% tax on bottled water fior less than 1 gallon size containers

[Vandervoort's]

Note: Florida has not seen the reverse vending law in NY state for large
businesses.  Instead, why not impose a tax?  
So far, Texas has not proposed such tax on bottled water.  We do have an 8
1/4 per cent tax on most other beverages.  (Here in West Texas, water might
be priced out of reach for most people due to the record heat and drought
and the effect on local reservoirs.)

Vending Times
Issue Date: Vol. 51, No. 9, September 2011, Posted On: 9/1/2011 

Florida Senator Reintroduces Bottled Water Tax 

Emily Jed; Emily at vendingtimes.net 

TALLAHASSEE, FL -- Florida State Sen. Evelyn Lynn (R-Ormond Beach) has filed
a bill to tax bottled water after the defeat in May of an identical proposal
she filed last year.

The bill, designated SB 78, would levy a 6% surcharge on the sale of bottled
water in containers of less than one gallon. The proceeds would be earmarked
for mitigating the environmental effects of discarded bottles.

The National Automatic Merchandising Association and the Automatic
Merchandising Association of Florida, a NAMA state council, lobbied strongly
in support of the industry and called on operators to voice their opposition
to the bill. NAMA reported that Florida operators sent some 300 emails to
their state senators and representatives, and credited their efforts with
helping defeat the bill's passage. | SEE STORY

Their message to the legislators was that the bill would add a 7.5¢ tax on
$1.25 bottle of water. Since vending operators can't raise their prices in
penny and half-cent increments, industry leaders emphasized, they would not
be able to pass the increase along to their customers, placing an unfair
burden on their bottom lines.