Fizzy Lizzy battles NY governor’s tax plan

This week, Liz Morrill, founder and CEO of Fizzy Lizzy, a Manhattan-based brand of all-natural sparkling juice, has issued urgent appeals to all members of the New York State Legislature to reject the tax proposal.

In a statement, she wrote: “The proposed tax is completely irrational. For instance, it imposes no tax on 100% juices such as Tropicana Pure Premium Orange, which has a whopping 165 calories and 33g of sugar per 12oz, but levies a massive 26% tax on Fizzy Lizzy Tangerine (50% juice and 50% seltzer), which contains only 100 calories and 24g of sugar per 12oz bottle.

“I started this company precisely because people wanted a lower-calorie and refreshing alternative to plain juice. Now it seems that Governor Paterson wants to penalise my company – and others like it – for providing healthful, all-natural alternatives.

“Even more perplexing is the fact that diet sodas, laden with artificial sweeteners, artificial flavours and preservatives, which numerous scientific studies have shown actually increase one’s yearning for sweets, get a pass, but all non-diet carbonated beverages, regardless of calorie and nutritional content, are heavily taxed. So nonsensical is this proposal that it even applies to flavoured seltzer containing zero calories!

“Oddly, almost all non-carbonated beverages without regard to nutritional profile, get a pass. Instead of mindlessly demonising carbonation, the tax, if any, should be based upon objective nutritional criteria such as calories and sugars per ounce. It should favour all-natural products that intrinsically provide vitamins, minerals and other nutrients as well.”