More and more people in this country are bypassing the water fountain and opting to drink bottled water instead. This growing trend has been responsible for an explosion of bottled water varieties available on the market today. Many people have even stopped drinking the water from their kitchen faucets and have installed bottled water home coolers. Is this just another crazy fad, or there actually a good reason to switch from tap water to bottled water?

A tax on bottled water has been proposed in Hawaii, similar to one that was implemented last year in Chicago.

These taxes single out an industry that is healthy, safe and provides consumers with a choice over many unhealthy beverages.

Hawaii calls its proposed tax a 5-cents-per-container “surcharge” on bottled water produced or distributed in-state.