Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Investing

To Eliminate Underground Markets, Tax and Regulate Less

by May 22, 2024
May 22, 2024
To Eliminate Underground Markets, Tax and Regulate Less

Jeffrey Miron

The state of New York legalized recreational marijuana in 2021. Recent estimates, however, count 2,000 unlicensed vendors and only 100 licensed ones. 

Why did legalization not eliminate the underground market? 

One problem is that New York’s policy change did not eliminate the federal ban on marijuana, which has two important consequences. State‐​legalized marijuana sellers cannot access the federally regulated banking system, and such sellers cannot deduct from revenue the costs of producing a federally illegal product. Thus, even without state prohibition, marijuana sellers face strong incentives to remain underground.

A second impediment is that New York has been slow at licensing legal marijuana retailers, with 30 people assigned to review about 7,000 applications. Additionally, a dispensary license in New York costs $7,000, plus $4,500 for a cannabis delivery license. 

The third factor is the state’s 13 percent tax on retail sales, which again advantages black market sales. 

To address this issue, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced an overhaul of New York’s legal cannabis program, granting authorities the power to speed up licensing and shut down local marijuana vendors. Faster licensing makes sense; shutting down underground vendors does not.

Instead, policy should allow the entire market to move above ground by reducing costly and time‐​consuming regulation. These include requirements on environmental impact, store security, and record‐​keeping, among others. By so doing, while expanding licensing and lowering the tax rate, the state can move most of the market above ground. This will plausibly raise tax revenue, by applying a lower rate to a much larger base.

0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
‘EV Health Checker’ creator ClearWatt reaches £200,000 fundraising target with latest investment from Prova
next post
Universal Savings Accounts to Help Families Build Wealth

You may also like

Republicans Will Encourage Voting Before Election Day

September 22, 2023

It’s Not Just Republicans, Democrats Want Trillion-Dollar Tax...

December 5, 2023

What Would Consumer-Regulated Electricity Look Like?

August 9, 2024

Amid Wave of Fed Criticism, Cato Study Finds...

May 10, 2023

Youth Online Safety Bills and the First Amendment:...

October 26, 2023

“Where the Writ of the Courts Does Not...

April 15, 2025

Two Years of Sounding the Alarm: Reflections and...

August 12, 2024

Former CDC Director Robert Redfield Shares Fascinating Insights...

July 24, 2024

Taking Stock of Restrictive Financial Policies and Expansionary...

March 21, 2024

A One-Dimensional Focus on Balanced Trade Does Not...

February 14, 2025

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Rubio condemns assassination attempt on Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe

      June 8, 2025
    • Obama WH physician says Biden doc should have performed cognitive test

      June 8, 2025
    • Trump warns of ‘serious consequences’ if Elon Musk funds Democrats

      June 7, 2025
    • Musk jokes about reconsidering stance on Big Beautiful Bill after Schiff’s praise

      June 7, 2025
    • Musk deletes explosive posts about Trump and Epstein files

      June 7, 2025
    • House witness flips script on Dem who ambushed him during hearing with unearthed tweet: ‘Iceberg is ahead’

      June 7, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,152)
    • Investing (2,019)
    • Politics (15,570)
    • Stocks (3,136)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved