In December 2008, Governor David Paterson (D-NY) proposed an 18 percent tax on nondiet sodas and fruit drinks containing less than 70 percent natural fruit juice. While the tax was part of a broader budget proposal designed to address New York State\u27s fiscal crisis - a plan that that included new taxes and tax hikes on 137 items and services\u27 - state officials promoted the obesity tax, as the soft drink levy came to be called, as a public health measure
