Alaska Cannabis Tax Reform
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Aiming To Replace The Old, Ineffective Cannabis Tax Structure In Alaska & Replace It With A New Structure That Increases Revenue, Decreases Enforcement Costs, & Increases Competition, Which Benefits The Consumer
AN INITIATIVE TO:
Amend Current Cannabis Tax Law from a Flat-Rate Tax on Alaska’s Largest Agricultural Crop by Market Value. The modification of the taxes currently in place on the cannabis industry will allow the prices statewide to fluctuate with free market. The amendment of the taxes will also generate more taxes for the State of Alaska. The amended tax presented in this initiative is a simple 15% Retail Sales Tax, this will accomplish three things; 1) Decrease the cost of keeping track of taxes owed, currently the tax system is complicated using a sliding scale based on the type of product. This system is expensive to monitor and maintain for the State of Alaska and the Industry. 2) It will increase the tax revenue for the State of Alaska 3) It will remove the tax burden from one area of the industry (Alaska’s Cannabis Farmers) Alaska has very little agricultural crops, this though not legal in eyes of the Federal Government, we believe it is important to recognize the importance of the technology needed to be successful growing crops indoors in our very difficult environment. Our Farmers need to be celebrated, not punished. This will fix this problem that thousands of Alaskans have had to deal with since the initial system was put in place.
A BILL BY INITIATIVE For an Act Entitled
"An Act to amend the Alaska Tax Code to a 15% Retail Tax from the complicated weight and sliding scale method in place today; decrease cost of management and monitoring of the tax system by making it a simple tax that can be passed on to the customer; amending the tax will increase the tax revenue for the State of Alaska.”
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
(1) It is in the public interest of Alaska to improve the cannabis tax system, it will benefit the State of Alaska by increased tax revenue, the Public by free market competition and lower prices, the Farmers by spreading the tax burden across the entire cannabis industry, and decreasing the cost and complications of the existing system.
Alaska shall now affirm the rights and powers of its citizens by prohibiting the use of
dark money in its candidate elections and by supporting an amendment to the United States Constitution allowing citizens to regulate the raising and spending of money in elections.
(2) The people of Alaska have the right to know how much total sales take place in Alaska at the retail level, currently this information is not easily accessible. If the new system is implemented it will be known based on how much tax revenue was brought in annually.
(3) It is in the public interest of Alaska to adopt a tax system that does not unfairly punish one area of the industry and decreasing the costs of cannabis while allowing cannabis prices to fluctuate with the free market.
(4) It is in the public interest of Alaska to adopt tax system that will increase the tax revenue. Currently Washington State has a system in place that taxes the retail sales 37%, we believe that the 15% tax is a great starting point and much easier to modify if future tax increases are required. Compared to the existing system where modifications would be complicated (Excise Tax system is complicated and expensive).
*Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a section to read: FINDINGS AND INTENT. The People of the State of Alaska find:
*Sec. 2. AS 43.61.010 is amended to read:
Sec.43.61.010.Marijuana-tax.
(a) An retail tax is imposed on the sale or transfer of any ma*****na product from a ma*****na retail ma*****na store to a customer. Every ma*****na transaction will include 15% Sales Tax.
(c) The recidivism reduction fund is established in the general fund. The Department of Administration shall separately account for 50 percent of the tax collected under this section and deposit it into the recidivism reduction fund.
(d) The legislature may use the annual estimated balance in the recidivism reduction fund to make appropriations to the Department of Corrections, the Department of Health and Social Services, or the Department of Public Safety for recidivism reduction programs.
(e) Nothing in this section creates a dedicated fund.
(f) The ma*****na education and treatment fund is established in the general fund. In addition to the accounting under (c) of this section, the Department of Administration shall separately account for 25 percent of the tax collected under this section and deposit it into the ma*****na education and treatment fund. The Department of Administration shall deposit interest earned on the fund into the general fund. Money in the fund does not lapse. The legislature may use the annual estimated balance in the fund to make appropriations to the Department of Health and Social Services for the comprehensive ma*****na use education and treatment program established under AS 44.29.020(a)(17).