NDP Hates All Non Alberta Beer?

[schocker]

Shitpost friday! So as we know now the NDP has now made a second change to the way brewers are taxed with a $1.25/L fee on all beer from brewers large and small.
http://calgaryherald.com/business/lo...er-tax-changes

Now they have unveiled their grant program for Alberta brewers which gives them up to $12mm per year until they exceed 300,000 hectolitres. Many before were brewing less than 20,000 so that they could stay in the lower tier of fees.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...rant-1.3699875

Now what this does is fuck over all other small canadian brewers as if they want to sell here (Brew out of province) they pay $1.25/L no matter what.

Some history:
October 2015
http://globalnews.ca/news/2304181/l...-playing-field/
July 2016
http://globalnews.ca/news/2820432/a...-craft-brewers/

[g-m]

Why though? Nothing else for the government to do?

[HiTempguy1]

Its starting to get fucking ridiculous how the provincial government js starting to micromanage bullshit like this

I'd prefer they focus on the $2bil bullet coming down the pipeline for.electricity. And by focus on, I mean scrap their stupid regulations.

[kertejud2]

Originally posted by g-m
Why though? Nothing else for the government to do?

Economic protectionism. Giving a competitive advantage to a growing Alberta industry.

And tax money.

[BigDL]

Interprovince war on alcohol sales.There is a lot of screwed up shit that provinces will do to limit you from buying stuff from other provinces.

[g-m]

Originally posted by kertejud2


Economic protectionism. Giving a competitive advantage to a growing Alberta industry.

And tax money.

fuck that. If they can't be competitive on their own merit why should the government subsidize a poor business model? The government should ensure a level playing field, nothing more. It shouldn't be tilting the field

[suntan]

I think Alberta is still the only province to have privatized liquor stores. Everybody else has their alcohol products set by the the government (remember kiddies, they still have gov't owned liquor stores). Needless to say Alberta products almost never make the selection.

Just don't mention the wineries.

[schocker]

^^^Don't all liquor stores here still buy through the government though to begin with? Privatized, but government still has a hand in it?

[dirtsniffer]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1
Its starting to get fucking ridiculous how the provincial government js starting to micromanage bullshit like this

I'd prefer they focus on the $2bil bullet coming down the pipeline for.electricity. And by focus on, I mean scrap their stupid regulations.

I think anytime you talk about the NDP you should have a disclaimer stating that you voted for them.

[suntan]

Originally posted by schocker
^^^Don't all liquor stores here still buy through the government though to begin with? Privatized, but government still has a hand in it?

They act as a brokerage, but they don't decide what gets purchased.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer


I think anytime you talk about the NDP you should have a disclaimer stating that you voted for them.

In probably 50% of the posts I have made since the election, I have done so

I fully own my mistake of trying to game the system with voting to knock the PC's out, and I fully regret it. Honestly, this is how people become 1 party voters. I will never make this mistake again.

Read parties' agendas, pick the party that best represents you, vote them.

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak

It might seem like a good idea to give AB brewers a leg up, until other provinces retaliate with similar strategies as a direct response. You start hurting those very brewers you are trying to help by limiting their marketing demographic.

I believe the argument is that they already have retaliated before craft brewing became a big deal in Alberta. As someone else mentioned, goodluck finding an AB craft brew outside of the province.

Even after the "provincial meetings" that have been held recently, I don't expect trade barriers to change much. As such, might as well make it easier for Albertan companies to sell to Albertans compared to other provinces flooding the shelves with their brews.

[btimbit]

Bitch better not fuck with my Brewhouse

[max_boost]

NDP lol the psycho bitch you knew you shouldn't have banged but is now committed to haha

[googe]

This seems like a good thing for the Alberta economy

A healthy craft beer industry is a good thing to have and would help diversify things. Not only is it going to bring in new enjoyable products, but it will put a dent in the amount of cash sent away to Anheuser Busch and MillerCoors. Craft Beer is a ~$60B industry in the US and growing fast. Huge in Washington and Oregon especially. Both BC and Quebec are doing well enough that they are respectable contenders even down here, but absolutely nothing comes from Alberta. It isn't on the map.

If this kickstarts the same movement in Alberta, it's a massive win. This might be the only smart thing that the NDP has done so far.

Check out this article on how it has affected Washington. It almost sounds like someone from the NDP camp read it and got some ideas.
http://crosscut.com/2015/07/what-cra...gtons-economy/

A bill called the Small BREW Act is about to start making its way through Congress, with real implications for Washington’s economy. It would change the federal tax rate on beer for those breweries producing less than six million barrels a year. Since only one brewery in Washington (Redhook) produced more than 60,000 barrels last year, the new tax rate would be a boon for breweries statewide, potentially invigorating one of the state’s most self-contained cash cows.

“Small brewers have been anchors of local communities and America’s economy since the start of our history,” said Sen. Ben Cardin (D – MD), who introduced the Small BREW Act. “The federal government needs to be investing in industries that invest in America and create real jobs here at home.”

If passed, Cardin estimates the breaks will help generate an additional $172 million in the first year alone, and another $990 million over the next five years. He also predicts 5,000 new jobs in the first 18 months after the bill passes and an astounding 6,400 more jobs over the following five years.

That isn't the Trump-like "make america great again" "job creation" bullshit, but a large number of actual locals starting small businesses and doing well for themselves. I've met many of them myself, and seen them go from not existing to being unable to keep up with demand and showing up at major supermarket chains in other states within just a few years.

Of course, the Big 3 Macros have been lobbying like hell, setting up fake craft beer lookalikes, and just scrambling to stay relevant overall. Expect them to start buying ads there with the usual populist scare tactics promoting free trade etc.

I don't generally like the idea of being taxed based on the origin of something I want to buy, and if someone really enjoys Bud Light, that's great for them, but in this case it sounds like it would barely put a dent in the cost of Macro Beer but would give Micros a huge leg up. So it seems pretty win win...

[jacky4566]

If anything Alberta is too nice when it comes to out of province beer. We import anything but cant export anything. This is just setting the same rules as every other province.

How many times have you seen Wildrose or Big Rock in BC?

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by googe
This seems like a good thing for the Alberta economy

So why do I have to pay more for the same beer now? This is just another shitty sin tax...

It's already hilariously expensive here for beer when compared to Saskatchewan and now it's getting worse. Straight up tax grab.

These prices are pre-NDP cash grab.

Booze Prices in Canada, including taxes:

Molson Canadian, 12 bottles:

AB: $29.54

NFLD: $24.99

NS: $24.79

NB: $21.99

PEI: $24.99

PQ: $19.53

ONT: $24.30

MAN: $23.42

SK: $26.75

BC: $22.16

YK*: $24.95

Crown Royal rye whisky, 750 ml:

AB: $35.20

NFLD: $30.28

NS: $29,99

NB: $29.99

PEI: $29.49

PQ: $28.95

ONT: $28.95

MAN: $29.99

SK: $28.98

BC: $26.87

YK*: $25.60

[atgilchrist]

Originally posted by jacky4566
If anything Alberta is too nice when it comes to out of province beer. We import anything but cant export anything. This is just setting the same rules as every other province.

How many times have you seen Wildrose or Big Rock in BC?

Infrequently, but only because Big Rock is terrible. Fucking Grasshopper, don't miss that.

[rx7_turbo2]

This is right out of this Gov'ts play list.

1) Come up with a new tax
2) Royally botch it in some way
3) Adjust it knowing the optics are bad so offer a subsidy of some kind to try and save face.

I really felt an NDP Gov't was going to be bad for this province, more so than others, but it's surpassed even my worst fears. They have no idea what they're doing, it's nothing but constant scrambling to cover blunders caused by decision making based on ideology.