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Santa Barbara, California, Marijuana Business Tax, Measure D2016 (November 2016)

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Local ballot measure elections in 2016

Measure D2016: Santa Barbara Marijuana Business Tax
LocalBallotMeasures Final.png
The basics
Election date:
November 8, 2016
Status:
Approveda Approved
Topic:
Local marijuana tax
Related articles
Local marijuana tax on the ballot
November 8, 2016 ballot measures in California
Santa Barbara County, California ballot measures
City tax on the ballot
See also
Santa Barbara, California

A business tax measure was on the ballot for Santa Barbara voters in Santa Barbara County, California, on November 8, 2016. It was approved.

A yes vote was a vote in favor of imposing a new tax of up to 20% of gross receipts on all marijuana businesses.
A no vote was a vote against imposing a new marijuana business tax.

Election results

Measure D2016
ResultVotesPercentage
Approveda Yes 26,956 68.61%
No12,33231.39%
Election results from Santa Barbara County Registrar of Voters

Text of measure

Ballot question

The following question appeared on the ballot:[1]

Shall the ordinance entitled the "Santa Barbara Marijuana Control Act" which taxes marijuana businesses to help fund general city services, including crime prevention, police services, and zoning enforcement under state and local marijuana laws, at a rate of 20% of gross receipts for medical marijuana and non- medical marijuana and generating estimated revenues of between $1,100,000 and $2,200,000 annually, with no terminate date, be adopted?[2]

Impartial analysis

The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Santa Barbara City Attorney:

Measure ___ would enact the Santa Barbara Marijuana Control Act (the “Act”). The Act would establish a new City tax on medical and non-medical marijuana businesses at a rate of up to 20% of their gross receipts.

The Act declares that it “is enacted solely to raise revenue for general municipal purposes, including but not limited to crime prevention, police services and zoning enforcement, and is not intended for regulation.”

The Act does not legalize or otherwise allow new medical or non-medical (recreational) marijuana businesses in Santa Barbara.

If the statewide initiative called the “Adult Use of Marijuana Act” is approved by California voters this November, non-medical (recreational) marijuana use and sales would generally be legalized in California. The Santa Barbara Marijuana Control Act allows the City to tax new non-medical marijuana businesses that may be legalized by the Adult Use of Marijuana Act.

Under existing City law, up to three storefront medical marijuana dispensaries can be permitted and regulated by the City. These businesses would also be taxed.

The Act authorizes the City Council to reduce the tax rate for any marijuana businesses or to establish different tax rates for different categories of marijuana businesses, always subject to the 20% maximum rate. On the other hand, the Act and state law prohibit the City Council from increasing the tax rate without future voter approval. The City Council may amend or repeal the Act without future voter approval.

The Act’s marijuana business tax would apply to the gross receipts from the planting, cultivation, harvesting, transporting, manufacturing, compounding, converting, processing, preparing, storing, packaging, wholesale, collective or cooperative distribution, provision, and/or retail sales of marijuana and any ancillary products in the City, whether or not carried on for gain or profit, and whether the business is legal or illegal.

The revenues from the tax imposed by the Santa Barbara Marijuana Control Act will be subject to the annual audit performed by the City's independent auditor which is reported in the City's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.

Measure ___ was placed on the ballot by the City Council of the City of Santa Barbara.

A "yes" vote is a vote to approve the Santa Barbara Marijuana Control Act and impose a new business tax on medical and non-medical marijuana businesses at a rate of up to 20% of gross receipts.

A "no" vote is a vote not to approve the Santa Barbara Marijuana Control Act and not to impose a new business tax on medical and non-medical marijuana businesses at a rate of up to 20% of gross receipts.[2]

—Santa Barbara City Attorney http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=173921

Full text

The full text of the measure is available here.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in California

This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the governing officials of Santa Barbara, California.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Santa Barbara Local marijuana tax. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Voter's Edge California, "Measure D," accessed October 25, 2016
  2. 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.