It’s a penny from heaven for Ontario beer drinkers.The Progressive Conservative government is cancelling a planned 3 cents per litre tax increase on beer that was to take effect next month.Premier Doug Ford announced Friday that the change, which would have raised the tax on beer by about a penny a bottle, is being scrapped.Read more:Craft brewers turn down Doug Ford’s buck-a-beer plan Doug Ford says he’ll talk about loosening law on public drinkingOntario’s cannabis retail system will be open for business when marijuana is legalized Oct. 17, province says“This tax hike is a cash grab from the hardworking people of Ontario, pure and simple,” Ford said in a statement.“We are putting a stop to it so Ontario beer drinkers can keep more of their hard-earned money,” he said, noting beer taxes have gone up every November 1 for the past three years under the previous Liberal administration. “Every year, taxes have kept going up to fuel out-of-control government spending while making life more and more unaffordable for Ontario families.”But provincial taxes are still a large chunk of the cost consumers pay for beer.For draft beer, it’s 72.45 cents per litre, though it had been set to rise to 75.45 cents a litre on Nov. 1.Bottled beer by the major breweries is even more heavily taxed at 89.74 cents per litre. It had been planned to increase to 92.74 cents a litre.At the current rate, beer drinkers are paying almost 30 cents a bottle in provincial taxes.That’s one reason why Ford’s much-hyped “buck-a-beer” campaign pledge fizzled.The premier lowered the legal minimum price from $1.25 to $1 a bottle in August, but not even the major brewers, such as Labatt, Molson, and Sleeman, could afford to sell beer for that price due to hefty provincial levies.Only Cool Beer, a boutique Etobicoke brewery, is currently selling four packs for $4.40 including deposit.Taxes for craft brewers will als ...
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