In Nevada, State Senator Bob Coffin said he would introduce legislation to tax the state’s legal brothels, a fee that would be “based on the amount of activities.” And unlike the Washington porn proposal, which drew the ire of the adult entertainment industry, Mr. Coffin’s plan has the backing of the potential taxpayers, in this case brothel owners who employ women as independent contractors.
In Massachusetts, meanwhile, state legislators have introduced a proposal to build two resort-style casinos, including one in Boston. A similar push died last year in the State House of Representatives. But Representative Martin J. Walsh, a Dorchester Democrat and co-author of the new casino bill, said a $2 billion budget deficit might have changed some minds.
Whether such proposals can pass is another issue, though each idea has its supporters. Betty Yee, chairwoman of the California Board of Equalization, the state’s tax collector, said that legal marijuana could raise nearly $1 billion per year via a $50-per-ounce fee charged to retailers. An additional $400 million could be raised through sales tax on marijuana sold to buyers.
via – The New York Times “Struggling States Look to Unorthodox Taxes”
The article summarizes the contraditions inherent with reconciling taxing vices and the belief systems people hold. Nothing worth having is easy so we’d best start getting our heads wrapped around the ramifications of getting exactly what we want.
While I do think we need to be careful about how any legalization legislation is written, I do think that if the laws and taxation parallel those of alcohol we should be alright.
I’m wondering whether, given the chance, we should accept legalization at any price (eg this $50 a zone tax) and hope to get the details fixed later, or whether we should make darn sure we get it right first time because we’ve all seen how hard it is to change laws once they’re made.