[qpalz]

My city attempted a large tax on sugary beverages only, but they ended up compromising with the opponents of the bill and implemented half the beverage tax on diet as well as sugary drinks. It seems like once the regulation for soft drinks is on the table, it's only a matter of time before diet sodas are included

[nitrogen]

Is diet soda really any better with regard to health? I was under the impression that the sweet taste without the calories causes problems with insulin or satiety or something (can't recall details).

[blacksmith_tb]

There's some evidence that artificial sweeteners have a negative effect on the human gut[1].

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/artificial-sweete...

[snovv_crash]

That is compared to water, not sugary drinks. People aren't drinking diet drinks as a replacement to water, they are drinking them as a replacement for sugary drinks.

[ZeroGravitas]

That seems a weird compromise. Who is against a soda tax, but pro a tax on diet soda?

I would have thought most big soda manufacturers sell both, and even if you only sold non-diet soda, you think it would be easier to pivot to diet soda than push for legislation to raise it's price.