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Government is using tax dollars to plan the collection of taxes from the "legal" sale of drugs, in this case marijuana. Guess no one told the Democrat run Board of Equalization that even if Prop. 19 passes, the sale of marijuana is illegal under Federal law. So no taxes will be collected--but it will be easier for the Feds to find the drug dealers.
How much will be raised? "California cannabis is an estimated $14 billion a year industry. While the Board of Equalization has said the state could make $1.4 billion annually taxing marijuana, other groups have different opinions on that estimate. An independent RAND Corporation study cautioned against predicting tax revenue, saying receipts could be several times higher than $1.4 billion due to exports, or significantly lower due to an ongoing black market."
forgotten is the fact that once legal majority of marijuana will be grown in backyards, free--co-ops will be formed, for free to grow lots of the drug. No taxes. Then you will still have black market dealers selling the stuff--without charging taxes. Then you have the greed of government--you can be sure that taxes on marijuana will not be cheaper than those on cigarettes--another cause of the black market.
Did I mention the social costs, hospitalization of over dosing, the use of harder drugs--marijuana is a gateway drug?
If they think government will make money on this, they must already be smoking funny cigarettes.
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How much will be raised? "California cannabis is an estimated $14 billion a year industry. While the Board of Equalization has said the state could make $1.4 billion annually taxing marijuana, other groups have different opinions on that estimate. An independent RAND Corporation study cautioned against predicting tax revenue, saying receipts could be several times higher than $1.4 billion due to exports, or significantly lower due to an ongoing black market."
forgotten is the fact that once legal majority of marijuana will be grown in backyards, free--co-ops will be formed, for free to grow lots of the drug. No taxes. Then you will still have black market dealers selling the stuff--without charging taxes. Then you have the greed of government--you can be sure that taxes on marijuana will not be cheaper than those on cigarettes--another cause of the black market.
Did I mention the social costs, hospitalization of over dosing, the use of harder drugs--marijuana is a gateway drug?
If they think government will make money on this, they must already be smoking funny cigarettes.
More...