Washington State candy and soda tax repealed

A Washington State tax on candy, soda and bottled water expired on December 1 as a result of 62 percent of voters approving Initiative 1107 in November.

The tax was intended to help plug the $520m gap between spending and income in the state, but was criticized by some as discriminating against certain businesses.

The National Confectioners Association and its members in the Washington State Confectionery Coalition welcomed the tax repeal, having collected nearly 400,000 signatures to put it on last month’s ballot.