Beverage taxes are an unfair burden on small-businesses and in Seattle, small business owners are calling on Mayor Ed Murray to reconsider his plan to bring one to their city.

On Tuesday, a group backed by more than 150 small-business owners held a news conference to object the Mayor’s proposed 2 cents per ounce tax, The Seattle Times reported.

“This is not fair to the minorities who are owning most of the convenience stores,” says Gurdev Singh Mann, who runs gas station stores in the area. “I was so stunned.”

These small-business owners have seen it happen in Philadelphia. With regressive beverage taxes come store closures and higher prices for customers. These taxes will be a, “killer of jobs we cannot afford to lose,” said Pete Lamb, business agent for the Teamsters local 174.

To learn more about the coalition, visit keepseattlelivableforall.com