M-114 Excise tax on beer, wine and liquor

That:

(a) the House recognize that,

(i) taxes on beer, wine and liquor will automatically increase on April 1, 2024,

(ii) the 2024 tax increase will be 4.7%—the amount equivalent to average inflation over the past year,

(iii) breweries, wineries and distilleries are an important source of wealth and employment in the Canadian economy,

(iv) industry sales have not returned to pre-pandemic levels,

(v) Canadians are struggling with increased costs due to corporate greed in the housing, oil and gas, grocery, and banking sectors,

(vi) the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, on February 15, 2024, unanimously called for the government to limit the April 1, 2024, increase of the excise tax on beer, wine and liquor to the Bank of Canada’s target inflation rate of 2%; and

(b) in the opinion of the House, the government should consider the advisability of limiting the April 1, 2024, increase of the excise tax on beer, wine and liquor to the Bank of Canada’s target inflation rate of 2%.