EUREKA, Calif. -- The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors held a meeting to discuss and evaluate the Cannabis Cultivation Excise Tax, considering setting the rate for 2025, addressing past due payments and implementing regulations.
"In Humboldt County, there is measure tax for cannabis cultivation, which is an excise tax that's applied to cannabis production, and only to cannabis production, so this is a tax that cannabis farmers pay, that no other form of agriculture, or no other industry actually in Humboldt County pays," said Humboldt County Growers Policy Director, Ross Gordon.
Cannabis growers are asking the county for the normalization of cannabis by suspending this special tax so that cannabis businesses are treated the same as other local businesses and industries.
"We have seen studies recently that show that cannabis in Humboldt still accounts for about 10% of our economic activity here so I think for all of us in Humboldt, we want a thriving local economy," said Gordon.
The tax rate for this year and next year will be reduced to 0% for cannabis cultivation.
"I'm a cultivator, that is how I provide for my family, my husband and I own and operate our homestead business together, and so we have always been up and able to manage paying our taxes but that's not the case for a lot of our cultivators in our county, and it is important for me to see all of our cultivators an opportunity to thrive here," said Emerald Queen Farms Owner and Operator, Hannah Whyte.
Click here to learn more about how Measure S affects Cannabis Cultivators.