Local governments should get 40 per cent of B.C.’s pot revenue: advocacy group
VANCOUVER — The advocacy group for local governments in British Columbia wants the provincial government to fork over a 40 per cent share of its marijuana tax revenue when the drug becomes legal.
The Union of B.C. Municipalities has tabled a resolution asking the provincial government to provide local governments with $50 million of the projected provincial cannabis excise tax revenue of $125 million over the first two years of legalization.
Representatives from city councils across the province will vote on the special resolution next week during the union’s annual convention.
Vancouver Coun. Kerry Jang, who co-chairs a joint provincial-local government committee on cannabis regulation, says municipalities will face new costs when non-medical marijuana becomes legal Oct. 17, including policing, administrative and staffing costs related to enforcement and zoning.