Financing for Clean Water Trust Fund Must Come From Taxes on Non-Discretionary Water-Based Bottled Beverages
2009-06-30
Contact:
Kate Fried, Food & Water Watch (202) 683-2500
Financing for Clean Water Trust Fund Must Come From Taxes on Non-Discretionary Water-Based
Bottled Beverages
Statement of Food & Water Watch Executive Director
Wenonah Hauter
Washington, D.C.—“This week, the United States Government Accountability Office issued a report to Congress outlining options for generating the $10 billion in annual revenue needed to establish a Clean Water Trust Fund to upgrade our nation’s aging water infrastructure system. The report, entitled Clean Water Infrastructure: A Variety of Issues Need to Be Considered When Designing a Clean Water Trust Fund, highlights a number of sources for Congress to consider, including taxes on bottled beverages, fertilizers, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and water appliances. Food & Water Watch recognizes the need to draw from diverse funding sources to finance this critical undertaking. It is our suggestion however, that any funding package that Congress arrives at must include an excise tax on water-based bottled beverages.
“While many pharmaceuticals and water appliances are essential purchases, water-based bottled beverages are not. Further many of these beverages strain local water infrastructure systems as beverages companies withdraw water and contribute to pollution in the form of industrial run-off and improperly disposed plastic bottles, thereby taxing municipal finances and further contributing to the need for a trust fund.
“As public utilities around the United States struggle financially to meet federal clean water standards and maintain and modernize their infrastructure systems, a Clean Water Trust Fund is more urgent than ever. While recent Congressional appropriations may channel as much as $3.9 billion towards upgrading water systems around the country, we cannot always rely on Congress and the President to allocate money for such projects. That is why Congress needs to create a dedicated source of federal funding in the form of a Clean Water Trust Fund so that communities across America can keep their water clean, safe and affordable.”
Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit consumer organization based in Washington, D.C., works to ensure clean water and safe food in the United States and around the world. We challenge the corporate control and abuse of our food and water resources by empowering people to take action and transforming the public consciousness about what we eat and drink. For more information, visit www.foodandwaterwatch.org.