JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KFVS) – Missourians might be paying too much in sales tax on recreational marijuana.
The Missouri Supreme Court will soon decide whether cities and counties can stack taxes on marijuana. The decision could drop as soon as May 27 after hearing arguments this week.
Robust Missouri Cannabis, a dispensary in Florissant, has to charge nearly 21% sales tax on recreational marijuana because of the combined state, county and city taxes. Florissant in St. Louis County is one of 70 areas that has stacked county and city taxes on marijuana, according to data from the Missouri Department of Revenue.
Because this high tax was making the store less competitive, the store sued the county. After a two year legal battle, the lawsuit made it all the way to the state’s highest court.
Jack Cardetti with the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association said there is only supposed to be one local government sales tax. He said this is what the constitutional amendment intends.
“This unconstitutional tax that many counties have imposed is costing Missouri marijuana users about 3 million extra dollars a month that they shouldn’t be paying,” Cardetti said.
St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann said the county stands to lose at least $2.4 million in tax revenue if counties cannot stack taxes on recreational marijuana.
“It wasn’t sold on the idea that somehow we’d have a better society or a better state if people could buy marijuana legally, what they sold it on was because marijuana was illegal we can’t tax it,” Ehlmann said.
The decision that comes out of the state’s highest court will be the final one of this two-year legal battle.
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