News Releases & Statements

American Beverage Association Opposes Attempts to Expand Bottle Bill in New York State

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 29, 2009

Contacts:  
ABA Press Office
(202) 463-6770

Statement from the American Beverage Association
American Beverage Association Opposes Attempts to Expand Bottle Bill in New York State

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The American Beverage Association (ABA) and its members in New York State reaffirm our strong opposition to the current state proposals to expand the bottle bill and take the unclaimed bottle deposits. In an economy like this, the last thing government should be doing is raising taxes on middle class families.

The non-alcoholic beverage industry supports 54,000 jobs in communities all over New York State - including in manufacturing facilities, truck drivers, retail clerks and restaurant workers.  Thousands of these jobs would be put in jeopardy if the current proposals become law.

Adding a deposit fee on bottles will equate to a 25 percent sales tax on clean, healthy water which millions of New York families depend on every day.

And currently the unclaimed deposits, which some state officials want to take, are used to implement and operate recycling efforts throughout the state. If this money is taken by the government, costs of recycling would be passed onto consumers resulting in higher prices on products.

These onerous and expensive changes to the Forced Deposit Law will cost $190 million a year, and absorbing them or passing them on to consumers could mean the loss of more than 2,100 good-paying jobs in New York.

We will continue to work with legislators on behalf of the beverage industry, its thousands of employees, and the people of New York to get these unfair taxes off the table and keep jobs in New York.

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 The American Beverage Association is the trade association representing the broad spectrum of companies that manufacture and distribute non-alcoholic beverages in the United States. 

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