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.
Although it’s unknown exactly how much revenue will come in from pot legalization, Jang said local governments want some of the money upfront in order to avoid having to find other sources, like boosting property taxes.
“To be honest, nobody really knows what the revenues are going to be like. That’s why we’re saying look, this is for the first couple of years to get us going and then we can look at other models afterwards,” said Jang.
The resolution proposes splitting any extra revenue above the province’s projected amount evenly with local governments.
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Excise tax revenue would be distributed to B.C. local governments on a per capita basis, with all municipal and regional districts receiving a minimum of $10,000, regardless of population.
Depending on how accurate the revenue projections turn out to be after two years, the resolution suggests either continuing with the same model or considering a boost in provincial sales tax on cannabis from seven per cent to a maximum of 10 per cent and committing a portion to local governments.
Jang said the model pitched by the union of municipalities is largely based on what Ontario has promised its local governments.
In December, the federal government agreed to give 75 per cent of its marijuana excise tax revenue to the provinces and territories for two years, capping its own portion at $100 million.
It’s up to the provinces and territories to determine how much of its revenue to share with municipalities and regional governments.
The Canadian Federation of Municipalities initially proposed that local governments get one third, however some provinces have already determined a different split.
In March, Ontario said it would give $40 million — or 40 per cent of its projected share of federal marijuana taxes — to help cover law enforcement and safety costs associated with pot legalization. The money would be provided to municipalities upfront, beginning before legalization takes effect. It will come from the first two years of federal excise duties on producers of recreational pot.
In a statement, the B.C. Ministry of Finance said the provincial government will bear “the vast majority” of costs to legalize cannabis.
Even after taking into account the revenue split with the federal government, the province does not expect substantial revenue from cannabis legalization in the near future, the ministry said. Its goal is to keep duties on cannabis low to stem the black market.
“We are committed to working with local authorities to understand their upfront and longer-term costs, along with any cost savings. We look forward to meeting with the UBCM executive in the near future to begin this discussion,” it said.
The ministry did not say if or when it will announce revenue sharing with local governments, or have an estimate for costs local governments will bear.
Amy Smart, The Canadian Press
