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Letter: Pot tax in Richmond could help fight fire

Dear Editor, Re: “Do you support a tax increase to hire more firefighters in Richmond?” Your Voice, Nov. 1. In the weeks leading up to Richmond’s municipal election on Oct.
Cannabis
Brandon Bartelds smokes three joints at once while attending the 4-20 annual marijuana celebration, in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday April 20, 2018. In less than a month, Canada will become the first industrialized country to legalize recreational marijuana. Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Dear Editor,

Re: “Do you support a tax increase to hire more firefighters in Richmond?” Your Voice, Nov. 1.

In the weeks leading up to Richmond’s municipal election on Oct. 20, each of the candidates for council professed their grand ideas of the improvements they would champion in Richmond if elected. No candidate (other than myself) offered any novel suggestions of how they would finance these improvements. The candidates were silent on this because the answer was obvious and likely one that would spell their political demise: a tax hike.

With the legalization of cannabis on Oct. 17, Richmond was presented with a golden opportunity to begin collecting millions of dollars in both sales and excise taxes. For what really is pathetic reasoning, Richmond continues on with an outright ban on retail sales on cannabis while progressive jurisdictions around B.C. realize how they can take advantage of the windfall.

Now Richmond has learned that, due to its growing population, it needs more firefighters. I don’t doubt the need for more firefighters, however I do doubt the need to raise our municipal taxes to fund them.

By simply allowing retail cannabis sales, Richmond’s coffers would receive the required monies for bringing on these additional firefighters, without having to increase our municipal taxes.

Jason Tarnow

RICHMOND