Feds to take 25% of pot tax

Photo: The Canadian Press

Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau, right, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice Bill Blair make their way to talk to reporters before joining their federal, provincial and territorial counterparts for dinner in Ottawa, Sunday, December 10, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand

The federal government has agreed to give the provinces and territories a 75 per cent share of the tax revenues from the sale of legalized marijuana.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced the agreement today after a day-long meeting with his provincial and territorial counterparts.

The original model put forward by the federal government proposed an even 50-50 split, a plan that was immediately shot down by the provinces, many of which wondered aloud what sort of costs Ottawa would be incurring to deserve such a share.

Earlier today, Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa said the federal Liberal government had successfully made the case that it, too, would have costs, but was showing flexibility on related revenue and cost-sharing questions.

After a meeting with his Atlantic counterparts in Halifax, Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil let slip that a two-year deal had been reached, and that provinces would have the ability to include a markup above and beyond existing taxation levels.

Ottawa's initial estimates suggest the total pot of tax revenue from marijuana sales could reach $1 billion per year.