Freedom Works, a grassroots conservative group that advocates for lower taxes and less government, has hit cyberspace with an email soliciting support for staving off a possible increase in the excise tax on soda.

Freedom Works Chairman Dick Armey, the former House Majority Leader, is a lobbyist for DLP Piper. In 2008, Armey represented Diageo, an international beverage business.

"They [liberals in Congress] think that a tax on soft drinks is better than any other type of tax," said Armey. "They are wrong, and need to understand this message loud and clear: No new taxes!"

Armey's ire is in response to a proposal which recommends increasing the tax on soda and alcoholic beverages as a way to generate revenue to pay for health care. The beverage tax, promoted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, was one of many ideas presented to the Senate Finance Committee in a roundtable discussion.  

The full testimony by the center Executive director Michael Jacobson can be read here.

                                                                                                               -- Eliza Krigman