Pop Tax on the Chopping Block

As The Associated Press reported Tuesday, a bill from Gov. Joe Manchin to repeal the state's pop tax happened to coincide with the Soft Drink Association's annual lobbying day at the Legislature.

Industry officials say Manchin agrees with them that soft drinks are being unfairly taxed twice. At the governor's behest, lawmakers set an additional, 6 percent sales tax on soda during last year's special session on taxation.

The pop tax dates back to 1951, when the state needed money to build WVU's medical school. The tax provided $14.9 million to to the school last year. Officials there tell me the money also benefits the pharmacy, nursing and dentistry schools, and accounts for 21 percent of their total state funding.

MetroNews follows up on the governor's proposed pop tax repeal (with audio), which would take about 14 years. Talkline's Hoppy Kercheval also recounts Tuesday's mad scramble by a WVU med school official to stymie the bill.