A new advocacy campaign has been launched by craft breweries across British Columbia.
The grassroots initiative, called Protect BC Craft Beer, was started by the BC Craft Brewers Guild (BCCBG), which represents 219 member craft breweries across 70 BC communities.
It’s rallying beer lovers around the province to demand a fairer tax system that stops favouring foreign-owned beer conglomerates and instead support BC craft breweries that employ more than 6,000 people.
“For over a year, BC’s craft brewing industry has been calling on government for urgent reforms to a tax structure that unfairly benefits foreign-owned mega brewers while leaving local craft brewers behind,” says Ken Beattie, executive director of the BCCBG.
“Without change, many of our members won’t make it. Some have already closed their doors. This reform isn’t just about fairness; it’s about survival.”
According to the BCCBG, the province’s “outdated tax system” currently hands foreign-owned giants more than $9 million in tax rebates each year, with no markup increases in nearly a decade.
Independent craft breweries, however, have seen a 30% rise in costs since 2020 and get penalized for success with escalating tax rates as they grow.
The sad result of that, the BCCBC explains, is the closure of more than 20 local craft breweries in BC over the last year.
“In some cases, the closure meant the loss of the only brewery in a community, and with it, a beloved gathering place for locals,” a release from the Guild says. “Many more are hanging on by a thread and will close if this backwards tax system isn’t reformed imminently.”
The Protect BC Craft Beer campaign is hoping to raise public awareness of the outdated tax structure that is putting local breweries at a disadvantage.
It calls on the provincial government to work with the BCCBG to immediately find a sustainable solution that supports small businesses, removes barriers to growth and keeps hard-earned tax dollars in BC.
The Guild says its proposed tax reform is “revenue-neutral for government” and could save BC craft breweries $16.3 million annually to be reinvested into local jobs, ingredients and growth.
According to the BCCBG, other provinces like Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan have already taken steps to support their craft breweries, and now it’s time for BC to do the same.
“Like other provinces in Canada, our craft breweries are facing immense financial pressure,” says Cameron Forsyth, co-founder of Main St. Brewing in Vancouver.
“But the difference is that these other provinces have provided relief to their small businesses, while we continue to hope that BC will join with provincial cousins and help our sector.”
Forsyth adds: “We’re simply asking BC to do the same, to recognize the value of what we bring to our communities and help us survive.”
The BCCBG is encouraging British Columbians to contact their local MLAs and urge them to take action to support tax fairness for local craft brewers.
To learn more about the BCCBG and its members, click here.
