SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

Richard Cannings

  • Member of Parliament
  • Member of Parliament
  • NDP
  • South Okanagan—West Kootenay
  • British Columbia
  • Voting Attendance: 61%
  • Expenses Last Quarter: $128,729.57

  • Government Page
  • Mar/22/23 9:26:57 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Speaker, if someone makes cider or mead and then throws some berries into it, suddenly they are paying an excise tax. They do not pay it when it is produced without the berries. It does not make sense. I think that illustrates the excise tax needs a serious going over to make it fair in many ways.
58 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Mar/22/23 9:07:27 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Speaker, I have to agree with the member on the subject. Beyond capping this escalator tax, we really should be looking at restructuring the excise tax, especially for spirits. We also have the craft breweries of Canada asking for that, even though they have the staggered rise in excise tax based on how much they produce. It is way more than breweries or distilleries are paying in the United States, for instance. Could the member comment further on that? This is something that should be looked at. The distillers in my riding are very concerned about the unfairness of the way the excise tax for spirits is calculated today.
110 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Mar/22/23 8:28:08 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Speaker, I will just point out quickly, and I may be answering the previous question for him, that I do not think cideries and alcoholic beverages made from berries pay excise tax. That is my understanding. I would like to ask the parliamentary secretary what the government will be doing to make the excise tax writ large more fair for Canadians who have to compete with American companies, which have a much lower excise tax? Especially for small producers, small distilleries and breweries, it really puts them out of the market in terms of competition with those companies.
99 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border