First Nations demanding a cut of cannabis tax after pot legalization – CBC

148-page pot bill silent on role Indigenous communities will play under proposed legal framework

Mar 08, 2018

A leading voice on First Nations finances wants the federal government to surrender taxation powers over cannabis to band councils, arguing Indigenous peoples should get a cut of the billions of dollars in revenue expected from legalization.

Manny Jules, chief commissioner of the First Nations Tax Commission, is urging senators to amend Bill C-45, the government’s pot bill, to hand taxing authority to First Nations governments so they can impose their own levy on cannabis manufactured and sold on reserves.

The federal Liberal government reached a deal with the provinces to divide up the excise duty collected on the sale of cannabis — a 75-25 split in favour of the provinces, owing to the costs they will incur with legal pot.

Read More: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/first-nations-cannabis-excise-tax-1.4564121