The Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committee held a public hearing this week on a Democrat proposal to tax sweetened beverages.

The proposal isn’t just for sugar–which by their definition is cane sugar, beet sugar, glucose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey and fruit juice concentrate–it’s any substance suitable for human consumption that humans perceive as sweet and contains fewer than five calories per serving, such as aspartame, acesulfame potassium, neotame, saccharin, sucralose and stevia.

The proposal is a tax of 2-cents-per-ounce. That’s an extra 24 cents on a 12-ounce can of soda, on top of the 10 cent bottle redemption fee and any sales tax. Check out my comments on the bottle redemption fee below.

You can submit written testimony in opposition to the proposed bill.