What? The City of Denver wants to levy a 5 percent tax on recreational marijuana sales? Are they high?
According to the Denver Post, the city believes a tax is a fair way to pay the costs of policing and enforcing Colorado’s new marijuana legislation. The city tax would be in addition to a proposed 15 percent excise tax and a 10 percent statewide sales tax on all retail pot purchases, which will be voted on this November.
The city expects it will have to spend about $9.4 million on regulation, enforcement and health and education — including adding 26 police officers, buying a so-called Denver Cares van to transport high people to a detox facility and paying for an advertisement campaign to encourage young people to stay away from pot.
“Legalize it, but tax it” has long been argument for legalization. Why doesn’t the state just take its cut of the pie rather than sink millions into policing a black market? Now that the legalization part is a reality, though, getting to the taxing part is a bit of a buzzkill. Welcome to life as a conservative, says actor Ken Wahl.
https://twitter.com/GregKennedy120/status/354744549656117249
