On April 13th, I moderated a webinar about cannabis taxes called “IRS Enforcement of Cannabis Operators is Here – What Do We Do Now?“. Cannabis taxes should scare anyone in the industry, but federal incomes taxes under I.R.C. 280E probably take the cake when it comes to general anxiety. Our webinar featured Ani Gaylan and Jonathan Kalinski who are both tax attorneys from Los Angeles, representing clients in the cannabis industry facing 280E audits and controversy cases. Jonathan even handles the criminal aspect when the IRS comes calling. If you didn’t attend the webinar, below are the key takeaways about cannabis taxes and the IRS.
It’s not a matter of “if” but “when” for audits on cannabis taxes
Ani and Jonathan both agree that the IRS is ramping up its pursuit of audits against cannabis businesses. In case you forgot, I.R.C. 280E dictates that, if you traffic in a schedule I or II controlled substance (and cannabis is in schedule I), you cannot take normal business deductions or credits. You only get Costs of Goods Sold (“COGS”). The effective corporate income tax rate then for cannabis businesses is sky high, unless those businesses can capture more COGS.
The IRS has
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