B.C. municipalities want province to share pot tax

A group advocating on behalf of municipalities and some First Nations across B.C. wants the province to share its cannabis excise tax revenue.

The Union of B.C. Municipalities president Maja Tait says 99 per cent of the group's 189 members voted in favour of seeking a portion of the revenue this week at a convention.

Tait says municipalities have pushed for access to cannabis-related money five times in recent years because they have long incurred costs around regulating the substance.

The excise cannabis tax is paid by licensed cannabis producers when their products are delivered to a retailer or customer and the federal government retains 25 per cent of the money up to $100 million a year.

The remaining 75 per cent is given to provinces and territories, but some including Alberta, Ontario and Quebec have decided to pass along a portion of the money to municipalities.

The union says B.C. is expected to receive $50 million in revenue from the excise tax in the fiscal 2020-2021 year.