Op-Ed, The Center Sq Illinois: State lawmakers offer taxation advice they should follow

Here’s the introduction to this op ed  by the Center Sq

The art of taxation seems to elude Illinois lawmakers. 

The latest example is the tax structure developed for recreational cannabis in Illinois. A group of state lawmakers essentially admitted that they just might have set the tax rates too high.

Although this might not be as egregious as what they tried to do with the taxes for a proposed casino in Chicago, it’s further evidence that many lawmakers have no clue how overly burdensome taxes make Illinois less competitive than most U.S. states.

State Sens. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, and Toi Hutchinson, D-Olympia Fields, and state Reps. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, and Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, recently published a “Municipal Toolkit” for the state’s recreational marijuana law, House Bill 1438.

In it, they urged municipal officials to “proceed with extreme caution” when it comes to taxing recreational cannabis sales next year, when the product is scheduled to hit the open market. That’s because the state’s taxes on the soon-to-be-legal recreational marijuana may already be too high for some consumers. 

This is worth reading in full, those of you who have followed other states as they move into the world of regulation will recognize the issues

Read on at  https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/op-ed-state-lawmakers-offer-taxation-advice-they-should-follow/article_05e56fd8-c9b3-11e9-97ad-af15c12b7323.html

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