Article Summary In 2012, Colorado and Washington Legalized Marijuana for Recreational Use

Multiple Choice

Article Summary
In 2012, Colorado and Washington legalized marijuana for recreational use, and one of the major selling points in each state's pro-marijuana campaign was the possibility of generating millions of dollars in tax revenue from sales which could be used for funding general education. The Colorado legislature was weighing a proposal to tax marijuana at 30 percent, of which 15 percent would be a sales tax on consumers and 15 percent an excise tax on growers. Washington has set a tax rate of 44 percent on consumers and 25 percent each for growers and retailers. Since the legalization of marijuana is relatively new, projecting the economic impact of its sale is difficult, leading to many questions as to the quantities that will be produced and sold and what actual tax revenues will be generated.
Source: Elizabeth Dwoskin, "Colorado and Washington Try to Figure Out How to Tax Marijuana," Bloomberg Businessweek, April 26, 2013.
-Refer to the Article Summary. Colorado is weighing a proposal to tax marijuana at 30 percent, of which 15 percent would be a sales tax on consumers and 15 percent would be an excise tax on growers. Does this necessarily mean that each group will bear half the burden of the tax?

A) Yes, since the taxes are divided equally between consumers and producers, each will bear half the burden.
B) Yes, despite the even split of the 30 percent tax, consumers and producers always bear equal burdens of a tax.
C) No, the burden of a tax is always 100 percent on the consumer.
D) No, the burden of the tax will depend on the elasticity of demand and supply.