That new budget calls for a tax on soda and other sugary beverages and a trash collection fee. You might imagine those proposals don't sit so well with some citizens.
At the Mayfair Diner this morning, residents came for some breakfast and a chance to tell Mayor Michael Nutter what they think of his budget proposals to tax sugary drinks and charge a fee for trash collection.
Angela Quitola said, "I came specifically for Mayor Nutter, [because] he wouldn't answer my phone calls to his office."
Quitola's husband works for Coca Cola. She confronted the mayor the minute he walked in the diner door, saying, "If you raise them taxes, what do you think are the chances my husband's gonna have a job."
Mayor Nutter responded by saying, "Coca Cola and other soda companies make a ton of other products. People have a variety of choices. They'll choose those other products as long as revenues stay up. Your husband's gonna be fine."
"I don't agree with you about the soda," said Angela. "My stand is gonna be against you and I voted for you."
The mayor is seeking approval for a two-cents-per-ounce tax on soda and other sugary drinks and a 300-dollar annual trash collection fee. Combined, the two measures, if passed, would raise about $185-million annually.
Ron Coleman of Mayfair tells Action News, "I don't mind paying a couple extra for the trash, but I am already paying for the trash - it's called taxes."
Bridesburg resident Walter Advena says, "It sounds like a lot considering we already pay taxes through our real estate and stuff."
But the mayor argues the city has no choice if residents want to keep all city services and keep libraries and recreations centers open. Mayor Nutter explained it by saying, "I understand this is a challenge but these are challenging times that require us to work together to work through the worst recession since the great depression."
City Council is expected to debate the mayor's budget proposals in hearings over the course of the next few months.
