Unemployment claims in Philadelphia one year after implementation of the sweetened beverage tax

Objectives Possible adverse economic impacts of sweetened drink taxes are a key concern for numerous stakeholders. This study examined changes in unemployment benefit claims filings in Philadelphia compared to its neighboring counties two years prior to and 14 months post implementation of a 1.5 cents per ounce excise tax on sugar- and artificially-sweetened beverages. Methods Data were obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor. Interrupted time series analysis was used to determine if there was a change in new monthly unemployment claims filings post-tax implementation in Philadelphia compared to surrounding counties in supermarkets, select potentially affected industries, and in total claims filings across all industries combined. Results Results showed there were no statistically significant changes to unemployment claims in Philadelphia compared to neighboring counties for supermarkets (ß = -9.45, 95% CI = -98.11, 79.22), soft drink manufacturers (ß = -0.13, 95% CI = -9.13, 8.88), across other potentially affected industries (ß = 9.16, 95% CI = -488.29, 506.60), or across all industries (ß = -445.85, 95% CI = -4272.39, 3380.68) following implementation of the beverage tax. Unemployment declined similarly in Philadelphia compared to surrounding counties. Conclusions Public reports of increased unemployment within the first year following the implementation of the Philadelphia beverage tax are not supported by this analysis. Future work should examine employment outcomes and include longer follow-up periods.

• Publication year

  2019

• Venue

  PLoS ONE

• Publication date

  2019-03-27

• Fields of study

  Medicine, Business, Economics

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0213218PMID 30917140PMCID 6436769
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• The Macro Effects of Unemployment Benefit Extensions: a Measurement Error Approach*

  2018cited by this paper
• Relationship Between Health Outcomes and Health Factors: Analysis of 2016 Data in the Pacific Northwest Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings and Roadmaps

  2018cited by this paper
• Viewpoint: Soda taxes – Four questions economists need to address

  2018cited by this paper
• Pass-Through of a Tax on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages at the Philadelphia International Airport

  2018cited by this paper
• The Short-Term Impacts of the Philadelphia Beverage Tax on Beverage Consumption.

  2018cited by this paper
• Changes in prices, sales, consumer spending, and beverage consumption one year after a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in Berkeley, California, US: A before-and-after study

  2017cited by this paper
• Employment changes associated with the introduction of taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages and nonessential energy-dense food in Mexico.

  2017cited by this paper
• Viewpoint: Can U.S. local soda taxes continue to spread?

  2017cited by this paper
• Impact of the Berkeley Excise Tax on Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption.

  2016cited by this paper
• Beverages Sales in Mexico before and after Implementation of a Sugar Sweetened Beverage Tax

  2016cited by this paper
• Cost Effectiveness of a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Excise Tax in the U.S.

  2015cited by this paper
• Changes in Prices After an Excise Tax to Sweetened Sugar Beverages Was Implemented in Mexico: Evidence from Urban Areas

  2015cited by this paper
• Employment impact of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes.

  2014cited by this paper
• Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity

  2009cited by this paper
• The public health and economic benefits of taxing sugar-sweetened beverages.

  2009cited by this paper
• Effects of soft drink consumption on nutrition and health: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

  2007cited by this paper
• Segmented regression analysis of interrupted time series studies in medication use research

  2002cited by this paper
• Unemployment Insurance in Theory and Practice

  1998cited by this paper
• Employment implications of declining tobacco product sales for the regional economies of the United States.

  1996cited by this paper
• THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

  1954cited by this paper

• Can sugar taxes be used for financing surgical systems in Nigeria? A mixed-methods political economy analysis

  2024cites this paper
• Քաղցր ըմպելիքների հարկման ազդեցությունը սպառողների վարքագծի և տնտեսական գործունեության վրա / The Impact of Taxation of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages on Consumer Behavior and Economic Activity

  2024cites this paper
• Macroeconomic effects of sugar-sweetened beverages taxation: simulations in a computable general equilibrium model for Brazil

  2024cites this paper
• Associations of sugar-sweetened, artificially sweetened, and naturally sweet juices with Alzheimer’s disease: a prospective cohort study

  2023cites this paper
• Advertising and stocking at small retailers: A sweetened beverage excise tax in Philadelphia.

  2023cites this paper
• Reactions of industry and associated organisations to the announcement of the UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy: longitudinal thematic analysis of UK media articles, 2016-18

  2023cites this paper
• Employment and wage effects of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes and front-of-package warning label regulations on the food and beverage industry: Evidence from Peru

  2023cites this paper
• Leveraging Multiyear, Geospatial Social Media Data for Health Policy Evaluations: Lessons From the Philadelphia Beverage Tax

  2023cites this paper
• Not so sweet: impacts of a soda tax on producers

  2023cites this paper
• Outcomes Following Taxation of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

  2022cites this paper
• The effect of soda taxes beyond beverages in Philadelphia

  2022cites this paper
• A Synthetic Control Analysis of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's Excise Tax on Sugar-Sweetened and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefit Redemption.

  2021cites this paper
• The effects of the Chilean food policy package on aggregate employment and real wages

  2021cites this paper
• Employment impacts of the San Francisco sugar-sweetened beverage tax 2 years after implementation

  2021cites this paper
• Association of a Sweetened Beverage Tax With Purchases of Beverages and High-Sugar Foods at Independent Stores in Philadelphia

  2021cites this paper
• Preventing Non-communicable Diseases Using Pricing Policies: Lessons for the United States from Global Experiences and Local Pilots

  2021cites this paper
• A qualitative study on retailer experiences with Philadelphia's sweetened beverage tax.

  2021cites this paper
• Commercial use of evidence in public health policy: a critical assessment of food industry submissions to global-level consultations on non-communicable disease prevention

  2021cites this paper
• Analysis of Public Testimony About Philadelphia's Sweetened Beverage Tax.

  2021cites this paper
• ULTRA-PROCESSED FOOD PRODUCTS: SOLUTIONS FOR HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS

  2021cites this paper
• Impuesto a las bebidas azucaradas

  2021cites this paper
• Getting sugar back? Soda taxes beyond sodas

  2020cites this paper
• Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Reduction Policies: Progress and Promise.

  2020cites this paper
• IMPACTS OF SSB TAXES

  2020cites this paper
• The impact of the Philadelphia beverage tax on employment: A synthetic control analysis.

  2020cites this paper
• Countering Common Arguments Against Taxes on Sugary Drinks

  2020cites this paper
• Associations between Governmental Policies to Improve the Nutritional Quality of Supermarket Purchases and Individual, Retailer, and Community Health Outcomes: An Integrative Review

  2020cites this paper
• The ethics of excise taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages

  2020cites this paper
• Evidence summary: Business, employment, and productivity impacts of sugar-sweetened beverages

  2020cites this paper
• Retailer perspectives on sugar-sweetened beverage taxes in the California Bay Area

  2020cites this paper
• The impact of UK soft drinks industry levy on manufacturers' domestic turnover.

  2020cites this paper
• The macroeconomic impacts of diet-related fiscal policy for NCD prevention: A systematic review.

  2020cites this paper
• Association of a Beverage Tax on Sugar-Sweetened and Artificially Sweetened Beverages With Changes in Beverage Prices and Sales at Chain Retailers in a Large Urban Setting

  2019cites this paper
• Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes: Emerging Evidence on a New Public Health Policy.

  2019cites this paper
• Using Fiscal Policy to Promote Health: A Five-Year Update on Taxing Tobacco, Alcohol and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

  year unknowninfluential citation
• Taxing sugary drinks: A fiscal policy to improve public health

  year unknowncites this paper
• KN5. Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes: Rationale, Evidence and Design for Improving Health 1

  year unknowncites this paper