Pubdate: Sat, 26 Sep 2015 Source: Columbus Dispatch (OH) Copyright: 2015 The Columbus Dispatch Contact: http://www.dispatch.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/93 POT PROPOSAL MIGHT HAVE A TAX LOOPHOLE A New Wrinkle Has Emerged in a Would-Be Cartel's Effort to Legalize and Grow Marijuana in Ohio, Pointing Out Again Just How Bad an Idea It Would Be to Inscribe Its Self-Enriching Plan in the Ohio Constitution. The Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants says it has found a big tax loophole in the language of State Issue 3, a proposed constitutional amendment by ResponsibleOhio. This gap, they say, would shield the wealthy investors and retail marijuana shop owners from having to pay state income tax. The sticking point is over a single word, the proposed amendment says businesses would pay "all other local taxes, assessments, fees and charges as apply to businesses in general." The accountants - who, after all, are the experts who should know these things - say that local does not mean state, thus eliminating the need to pay state taxes. The pot-pushers insist the accountants got it wrong. The language says the opposite, that they "must pay all taxes that other businesses are required to pay." This is an important issue for clarification, because one of ResponsibleOhio's selling points is that legalizing pot would pump mega-millions into government coffers. Invariably, mistakes or oversights are made in legislation, but they can be remedied by quick fixes in the General Assembly. But when a policy is written into the Ohio Constitution, fixing flaws requires another statewide vote, a difficult and tedious process. This is a top reason why Ohio voters should vote no on Issue 3. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom