Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that she’s “very supportive” of the Philadelphia mayor’s proposal to tax soda sales in order to pay for universal preschool.
The former secretary of state was advocating for a “cradle to college” pipeline when the soda tax proposal came up during a gun control forum hosted by the Mothers of the Movement in Philadelphia.
“It starts early with working with families, working with kids, building up community resources,” Mrs. Clinton said. “I’m very supportive of the mayor’s proposal to tax soda to get universal preschool for kids.”
“I mean, we need universal preschool. And if that’s a way to do it, that’s how we should do it,” she added.
Mayor Jim Kenney, a Democrat, is calling for a 3-cent tax per ounce on soda and other sugary drinks in order to fund universal preschool in the city.
Mr. Kenney’s predecessor, Michael Nutter, proposed a 2-cent tax per ounce tax on sugary drinks twice, but it failed.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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