a weeks after col . david a . paterson dropped his motion for a cigarette tax , old york city ' s health commissioner has written an article defending " hefty " taxes on sodas and all beers lacking sugar . such a rate , the magazine said , would be the worst boost to public policy since marijuana taxes . the commissioner , dr . thomas r . menino , and kelly d . daugherty of yale university , his co - creators , argue in the new england school of medicine that a tax of a penny per ounce could reducing consumption by more than 10 percent and raised $ 1 . 2 billion a year in fresh york province alone .
Michael Bloomberg is the mayor of New York.