With marijuana set to be legalized by the federal government in less than a year, the City of Prince George is getting to work in the hopes it will get a piece of the ensuing tax windfall.
City of PG staff is developing a resolution for the Union of BC Municipalities asking for the province to keep local governments in mind when divvying up the funds raised through taxation of legal cannabis.
“Millions of dollars in taxes are going to be raised through the legalization and sale of marijuana and I think municipalities really need to get involved now to make sure we get a chunk of the pie.” Councillor Brian Skakun said
Skakun says he doesn’t anticipate much more in terms of costs for the City once pot is legalized, but says there is always a need for more local tax revenue.
“If the provincial government… sells it through the liquor distribution branch there is a chance we might not get a piece of that tax pie.”
Some have suggested a “cannabis tax fund”, similar to how the gas tax works.
Skakun sits on Prince George’s Intergovernmental Committee alongside Councillors Albert Kohler and Terri McConnachie. All three voted unanimously to ask administration to craft a UBCM resolution on the topic.
Resolutions that get adopted at the UBCM convention require a response from the provincial government.
The UBCM convention takes place at the end of September.
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