Alcohol excise tax increase

By Martin Shields Member of Parliament Bow River Riding

It’s March 1 and one month from now your taxes are going up again thanks to this government. In 2017, the Liberal government included in their budget a provision to tie the excise duties on alcohol sales to inflation every year. This means that the taxes you pay on each case of beer, bottle of wine or spirit, goes up whether you like it or not. The kicker? Well, 2022 saw the highest inflation rates in 40 years. 

Come April 1 when the new rates kick in, the automatic alcohol escalator tax will rise by 6.3 per cent. You might see some reports saying that will amount to less than one cent per can of beer, but those defending these tax increases without scrutiny, debate in Parliament, or even conversation, are missing the point entirely. According to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation “taxes already account for about half of the price of beer, 65 per cent of the price of wine and more than three quarters of the price of spirits.”

This is another example of the Liberal government raising taxes on Canadians and making life unaffordable. Canadians are paying more for less, and this government’s spending has caused hardship for too many families. Over 1.5 million Canadians are visiting food banks per month according to a recent statistic – that is unacceptable. 

Canadians deserve a government that works for them, not one that taxes them to death. Conservatives are committed to not introducing any new taxes on Canadians, and we will implement a pay-as-you-go policy for government that requires a dollar of savings for every new dollar spent. 

If you think the automatic alcohol escalator tax should be done away with, watch the video I made on my social media pages and visit my website (https://martinshieldsbowriver.ca/sign-the-petition-scrap-the-annual-liberal-alcohol-escalator-tax/).

Be sure to follow me on social media and sign up for my e-newsletter to keep up with federal news and updates: Facebook (@MartinShieldsBowRiver), Twitter (@MartinBowRiver) and Instagram (@MartinShields_BowRiver).

Should you have a question or concern of a federal matter, please email my office (Martin.Shields@parl.gc.ca).