City of Oakland Marijuana Tax, Measure F (July 2009)
| Voting on Marijuana | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Ballot Measures | |||
| By state | |||
| By year | |||
| Not on ballot | |||
|
A City of Oakland Marijuana Tax, Measure F ballot question was on the July 21, 2009 ballot for voters in the City of Oakland in Alameda County, where it was approved.[1]
Measure F authorized the city to impose a 1.8 percent tax the gross receipts of cannabis businesses located in the city. The measure was the first tax of its kind in a city in the United States. The tax went into effect on January 1, 2010.[2]
The city estimated that it would raise $294,000 in additional tax revenue in 2010 as a result of Measure F.[3]
The election was conducted using only mail-in ballots. The Alameda County Registrar of Voters office mailed out 205,000 ballots to registered voters in Oakland the week of June 22.[4] Ballots had to be returned by July 21, 2009.[5] The cost of holding the election on July 21 was $1.5 million.[4]
Election results
| Measure F | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 40,439 | 80.0% | ||
| No | 10,107 | 20.0% | ||
- These final, certified, election results are from the Alameda County election office.
Impact and significance
In 2007 and 2008, there were four licensed cannabis dispensaries in the city of Oakland. The total gross receipts of the four dispensaries in 2007 were $17.9 million. In 2008, the total gross receipts were $19.6 million.
With the approval of Measure F, Oakland became the first city in the country to assess a tax on marijuana.[6]
Supporters of legal marijuana believed that as states and municipalities experienced budget problems, those who would otherwise oppose legal, taxable marijuana would begin to support similar measures. Laura Thomas, deputy state director for the Drug Policy Alliance in San Francisco, said, “In hard budget times people are willing to be more creative."[7]
Support
Supporters included:
- Oakland City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan[6]
- California State Senator Loni Hancock[8]
- Assemblymember Sandré Swanson (D-Oakland)[8]
- California Nurses Association[8]
- The Central Labor Council of Alameda County
According to Sharon Cornu, executive secretary-treasurer of the Central Labor Council of Alameda County, "City employees have taken really tough hits — layoffs and salary and benefit cuts. We're working really hard to make sure these measures pass."[4]
The four medical dispensaries in Oakland supported Measure F. According to James Anthony, an attorney for Harborside Health Center, "Criminals don't pay taxes. Law-abiding citizens do. We are nothing if not law-abiding citizens."[9][10]
Impact on marijuana legalization
Tammerlin Drummond, a columnist for Bay Area News Group, predicted that if Oakland's voters approved Measure F, other California cities with marijuana clubs would pursue similar measures. He stated that approval would "give a huge boost to the legalization movement."
Drummond wrote, "The fact is, if you're going to allow the cannabis dispensaries, you might as well legalize pot."[11]
Other measures on July 21 ballot
Measure C: City of Oakland Hotel Tax
Measure D: City of Oakland Kids First! Funding
Measure H: City of Oakland Transfer Tax Clarification
Ballot question
The question on the ballot:
| Measure F: "Shall City of Oakland's business tax, which currently imposes a tax rate of $1.20 per $1,000 on "cannabis business" gross receipts, be amended to establish a new tax rate of $18 per $1,000 of gross receipts?"[12] |
See also
External links
- Measures on the City of Oakland July 21 ballot
- Website supporting Measure F
- Measure F on Smart Voter
- League of Women Voters of Oakland Voter's Guide
Footnotes
- ↑ San Francisco Chronicle, "Oakland ballot measures pass easily," July 22, 2009
- ↑ Associated Press, "Oakland voters pass pot tax to boost city coffers"
- ↑ Inside Bay Area, "Measure F: New tax for medical pot," June 23, 2009
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Inside Bay Area, "Pot, hotels, youth programs, tax code part of summer vote in Oakland," June 24, 2009
- ↑ The Oakbook, "Op-ed: Oakland's Business Issues," June 2, 2009
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 San Francisco Chronicle, "Backers of legal pot eye ballot," June 11, 2009
- ↑ New York Times, "Marijuana Supporters Welcome a Tax Increase," July 22, 2009
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Endorsers of "Yes on 4"
- ↑ Mixed Messages for Medical Marijuana (dead link)
- ↑ Oakland Tribune, "Measure F: New tax for medical pot," June 23, 2009
- ↑ Mercury News, "Tammerlin Drummond: Pot of untaxed revenue," July 12, 2009
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
