Lincoln City proposing to tax Recreational & Medical Marijuana
Lincoln City City Council
Archive photo
marijuana plant
wiki
The Lincoln City Council seems poised to enact a sales tax on both recreational marijuana (if it’s approved at the polls) as well as medical marijuana which is already legal to sell in Oregon. The federal government, on paper, disagrees, but that’s another story.
The council Monday night will be considering a new city law that places a 5% sales tax on the sale of medical marijuana, or medical marijuana-infused products, to marijuana card holders within the city limits of Lincoln City. In addition, the council is pondering whether to place a 10% sales tax on recreational marijuana and marijuana-infused products sold within the city limits of Lincoln City.
Before the city council makes a decision, councilors would like to hear from the public – get their take on it.
Click ad for details
Many Oregon cities and counties are racing to get their new marijuana sales tax laws on the books. They’re trying to beat the state to the punch in that the voter initiative bans local taxes on marijuana, requiring that all possible taxes on marijuana be handled by the state – reflecting how it’s already done with liquor. State liquor stores tax liquor and then return some of the collected revenue to local cities and counties in which the sales were made. Cities and counties with their new sales tax laws would mean that all the revenue they collect they keep.
What’s different about Lincoln City’s tax plan is that they’re taxing medical marijuana – something many cities and counties have decline to do since medical marijuana is legally medicine under Oregon law. The arguments goes ‘unless you’re going tax all medicines, you shouldn’t be taxing medical marijuana. That’s basically discrimination.’
At any rate, the Lincoln City Council wants to hear from Lincoln City residents or about how they feel about the new tax being levied on marijuana – either recreational OR medical. The council convenes Monday night, October 27th, 6pm at Lincoln City City Hall, third floor. Go all the way down to left to the council chambers.
The council is meeting on October 27th to debate the issue because it’ll be the last city council meeting they can pass their marijuana tax and have it take effect before the voters pass recreational marijuana November 4th – that is – if they pass it.
The city council meeting begins 6pm, Monday, October 27th, third floor of city hall. When you get off the elevator and go inside, when you get to the really long hallway, turn left and go to the end. And don’t forget to sign up to speak to the council.
