Port Hardy council received a letter from West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater, requesting support in the fight for local governments to receive a share of tax revenue from the sale of marijuana.
B次元官网网址淲ith cannabis sales becoming legal in 2018, there must be a formal agreement that will divide the tax revenue on cannabis sales in a fair and equitable manner,B次元官网网址� wrote Findlater. B次元官网网址淐urrent discussions regarding revenue sharing involve the federal and provincial governments with no inclusion of local governments. Ultimately, the legalization will entail additional costs for local governments both in social and policing costs.B次元官网网址�
According to Findlater, a Federation of Canadian Municipalities paper states that the impact may affect policing, fire services, building codes, city planning, municipal licensing and standards, public health, social services, communications, law, etc.
B次元官网网址淐ity of West Kelowna Mayor and Council is requesting your support, by writing to the Province to lobby them to agree to 50 per cent of the provincial share of the cannabis tax sharing formula be provided to local governments,B次元官网网址� Findlater wrote, adding, B次元官网网址淭his is an adequate and equitable share to help support costs and services incurred by local governments.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淎ny comments councillors?B次元官网网址� asked Port Hardy Mayor Hank Bood.
B次元官网网址淚 think theyB次元官网网址檙e going to keep it all,B次元官网网址� laughed Coun. Rick Marcotte.
B次元官网网址淲e should write a letter of support,B次元官网网址� added Coun. Pat Corbett-Labatt.
Coun. John Tidbury stated the tax sharing idea B次元官网网址渋s alright for big communities where they have lots of people and the tax revenue will be beneficial to them, but where we have a problem is we have a population under 5,000 people, so we wouldnB次元官网网址檛 get the same tax revenue as the bigger communities would get. By saying that, if it went into a provincial pot, weB次元官网网址檇 get a section of it that is equally divided amongst all the communities, and that would be to our benefit.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 a good concept, but I donB次元官网网址檛 think itB次元官网网址檚 going to happen,B次元官网网址� replied Coun. Dennis Dugas. B次元官网网址淚 think what could happen is something like they do for the gas tax, the way they have it set up in regards for population and distribute it that way, but as far as splitting it equally for everybody, that ainB次元官网网址檛 gonna happen.B次元官网网址�
Bood asked Coun. Leightan Wishart, who is on the districtB次元官网网址檚 marijuana committee, if they could look into the tax revenue sharing issue.
B次元官网网址淲e can do that,B次元官网网址� replied Wishart.
Council agreed to write to the Provincial Government requesting 50 per cent of the provincial share of the cannabis tax sharing formula be provided to local governments, and also agreed to draft a resolution for the AVICC / UBCM, regarding 50 per cent of provincial share of cannabis tax sharing formula to local governments for the Cannabis Advisory Planning Committee and council to review.
