UNEXPECTEDLY: Seattle’s Nanny-State Soda Tax Backfired Spectacularly (And Hilariously) New Study Shows. “The good people of Seattle responded to a tax on sugary drinks by buying more beer. So, yes, Seattle’s policy may have successfully burdened its residents with a regressive tax and pushed them away from their first choice drinks. But it’s not at all apparent that it actually ‘improved the health of Seattle residents.’ Indeed, alcohol consumption carries a wide range of negative health consequences. And calorie-rich beer can actually contribute to obesity, the very problem this tax was supposed to address.”