(Missourinet) – St. Louis County is being sued by a business group over the taxes being levied on marijuana sales. Amendment 3 allows local governments to levy a 3-percent tax on cannabis sales in addition to the state sales tax. Jack Cardetti with Mo-Cann-Trade says St. Louis County is only supposed to levy the tax in unincorporated areas, not in cities and towns within its borders:
“The counties know what they’re doing here. Several of the counties, including St. Louis County, originally were going to pass ordinances that were absolutely in line with the Constitution. They could tax those sales that are happening in unincorporated areas. Unfortunately, when you have politicians get involved and you have money, you see a lot of money grabs, and that’s exactly what the counties are doing in this situation.”
Cardetti says several counties are double-taxing marijuana customers, but so far Mo-Cann-Trade is only suing St. Louis County and the state of Missouri for collecting the disputed revenues. When asked for a comment, a Revenue Department spokesperson said they “don’t comment on pending litigation.” Meanwhile, a cannabis dispensary in northwest Missouri’s St. Joseph is suing Buchanan County for alleged double taxing.
