San Luis Obispo County supervisors aren’t interested in local government getting rich off the backs of cannabis producers and consumers through heavy taxation.
So they’re planning to levy taxes and fees that will pay for the expenses of regulating the industry, which is estimated to cost the county about $1.2 million this fiscal year.
It’s not yet known how high the taxes and fees will be. Other cities and counties across the state have proposed taxes ranging from around 3 to 20 percent.
The board discussed the issue for the first time Tuesday. A specific fee and tax plan will be brought back to the board for a possible vote in November before being placed on a June ballot for county voters to approve or reject.
Any county taxes will be on top of those leveled by the state. Beginning Jan. 1, when California begins issuing commercial cannabis licenses, the state will impose a 15 percent flat tax on purchasers of all cannabis and cannabis-related products and will impose a tax on cannabis farmers of $9.25 per ounce of buds and $2.75 per ounce of leaves.
All county supervisors Tuesday generally agreed that it was inappropriate to generate extra revenue for non-cannabis related programs from the industry, though Supervisor Adam Hill suggested that some funds generated could go toward drug and alcohol treatment programs.
Link – San Luis Obispo
