The Unintended Consequences of Sugar‐Sweetened Beverage Taxes on Sales and Prices of Beer Beverages
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This paper estimates the causal effect of Berkeley's sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax on beer purchases and prices using retail scanner data from 2014 to 2015. Applying both synthetic control and difference-in-differences (DID) approaches, we find that the tax reduced beer purchases within Berkeley by 8.9%, while having a negligible effect on beer prices. Mechanism analysis indicates that the decline in beer sales is driven primarily by cross-border shopping rather than a reduction in overall beer consumption.
Source: Health Economics
DOI: 10.1002/hec.70145
Authors: Lei Pan, Xiaoyong Zheng
Institution: North Carolina State University
Language: English
Subfield: Marketing
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,050
OpenAlex ID: W7172402435