Wine and beer taxes up?

Taxes on beer and wine may be going up soon, if a note buried in a report on reforming wine sales in the province is any indication.The report from a government advisory council calls for "fairer tax treatment" across the three categories of alcohol: wine, beer and spirits. Currently, "spirits are subject to a higher mark-up than wine," the report says, and wine is sold at a higher mark-up than beer.

"As a result, mark-ups and taxes have increasingly become barriers to fair competition," the report says, adding that the government should "take steps to more closely harmonize" mark-ups and tax rates for beer, wine and spirits. "The council recommends that government act to ensure fairer tax treatment across the major categories of beverage alcohol," the report says. "We have specifically recommended that there be no increase in spirits mark-ups at this time."

The government has agreed to adopt all 29 recommendations contained in the advisory council's report. Asked Thursday whether taxes on wine and beer will go up in next week's provincial budget, Finance Minister Charles Sousa didn't say no.

INC News, 19/02/2016 - source: ©CBC News