Citizens should vote “no” on alcohol and marijuana taxes in order to wait one year and dedicate these taxes to a communitywide recreation program.
I fear that, if passed in Tuesday’s election, money raised from pot and alcohol taxes will be used to pay for inflated salaries or other non-related Christmas presents down at City Hall and never be seen again.
I have vocally supported these taxes for years, and still do. I believe tax revenues are needed in our community to balance out the negative impacts of alcohol and drug abuse.
Drinking and smoking pot are forms of luxury recreation that can come with social costs including lost health and productivity, diminished social and family relationships and, in the case of alcohol, reckless and criminal behavior.
Physical recreation tends to improve health and worker productivity and boost family and social relationships, while reducing time, opportunity and likelihood of recklessness and criminality.
With taxes dedicated this way, one form of recreation will pay for another.
The dedication of these taxes for recreation – similar to the 1 percent sales tax dedicated for tourism promotion – ensures that tax revenues won’t be hijacked for other, less deserving uses. We can place dedicated alcohol and pot taxes on next year’s ballot with assembly support, or by a citizen initiative process, if necessary.
I apologize for not proposing this idea sooner, but there’s no harm done in holding off and doing this right the first time. Vote “no” on alcohol and pot taxes, for now.
Tom Morphet