Pubdate: Wed, 10 Apr 2013 Source: Pueblo Chieftain (CO) Copyright: 2013 The Pueblo Chieftain Contact: http://www.chieftain.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1613 DEATH BY TAX NOW THAT marijuana has been legalized in Colorado, how much should the state tax pot? A legislative panel which seemingly has antipathy to voter-approved Amendment 64 is recommending the state tax the product by 30 percent of the sales price. The House-Senate panel has agreed to ask voters permission for a 15 percent excise tax plus a 15 percent sales tax. The 15 percent sales tax would be in addition to the statewide 2.9 percent sales tax and local sales taxes. A political axiom holds that, if you don't like something, tax it, and if you really don't like something, tax it to the max. Of course, because of the TABOR provisions in the Colorado Constitution, voters would have to approve each of these taxes. Since Amendment 64 passed in every county of the state, we have doubts they'd turn around and try to tax pot into oblivion. Particularly because a repressive tax would send the marijuana users back to the underground, where the state would have no oversight. Call it death by tax for Amendment 64. State officials say they need the revenue to regulate marijuana, but these are the same officials who blew thousands of dollars on expensive office furniture and a fleet of SUVs. The panel's recommendations are farcical and should be treated as such by the General Assembly. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom