A new study from Rutgers economists shows the Philadelphia sweetened beverage tax created at least as many jobs as it cost in the four-and-a-half years since it passed.
The study confirms two prior studies that found the tax had no net effect on overall employment in the city. The study’s chief author, economist Michael Lahr, says there were job losses in the distribution and trucking sectors.
“There’s no doubt they suffered, but we did find out that they were counteracted by [many] more jobs in day care and related industries,” said Lahr.