State Rep. Jay DeBoyer will soon introduce a plan that alleviates tax burdens and helps small businesses that are operating lawfully.

DeBoyer’s new bill will suspend the 24% wholesale tax on marijuana for 12 months. The legislation and suspension will allow time to reevaluate the effectiveness of the tax.

“The road funding plan that taxed marijuana was created and signed in haste by the Whitmer administration to generate revenue, and we’ve seen the impacts of that haste,” said DeBoyer, of Clay Township. “The tax is generating tens of millions of dollars less in revenue than what was projected and there’s no enforcement agency to collect it. It’s also driving the marijuana industry back into the black market and forcing business owners who are following the law to compete with nefarious actors. This is a lose-lose.

“I supported the original legislation at large for needed road funding, but I was always skeptical to impose a tax with no mechanism to collect it. The problems with that were clear. This pause is needed to reevaluate the future effectiveness of the tax. Otherwise, it’s a useless tax and the state is forcing local businesses to pay for a policy that isn’t working as intended. This should be addressed.”

The new plan will soon be formally read into the record and referred to a House committee upon introduction.