 EMERGENCY RELEASE: CALIFORNIA CANNABIS DISPENSARIES MUST PAY TAXES BEFORE GETTING SELLERS PERMIT
What happened: In news this week, California’s Department of Tax and Fee Administration is requesting dispensaries to pay any unpaid taxes before getting a seller’s permit. It’s an effort to bring those gray-area operators who haven’t formally been paying taxes up to code before the marijuana industry takes off in 2018. For any businesses already growing or selling cannabis, the California state government will request that all dispensaries must pay their taxes before applying for a sellers permit. Why is it important: The cannabis industry in California is projected to bring in $1 billion in taxes by 2020, and the government wants to kickstart that windfall early. Not only that, but regulators are hoping to quash any lingering black market operators. The goal in requiring operators to pay back-taxes is to bring the industry above board before January 1 -- not to punish any existing operators, says one expert. Therefore, the state is likely to continue to work with any business owners who still want to get a seller’s permit and haven’t yet paid their taxes. What you need to do now: If you’re one of those gray areas operators, start to go through your records to determine how much tax you potentially owe before January 1. Under the state’s recent legislation, retailers and growers need temporary business permits from their individual towns or jurisdictions. These permits will last for four months, at which point they will be approved by state regulators for the official seller’s permit. That means now is the time to catch up on any lingering back taxes -- or risk getting shut down four months from now. Questions on how this applies to you? Get in touch with the experts at California Cannabis CPA today to get some advice on how to best proceed for your canna-business. We can help you easily get caught up on your taxes and get your return filed in a week! |
