A period of Immense Change
It’s been a little over a year since the government expanded the sale of beer into grocery and convenience stores and Ontario’s craft brewing industry continues to face several headwinds including rising input costs and a changing market landscape. Through all of this change, locally-owned craft brewers remain resilient and continue to brew innovative and world-class beer for Ontario consumers, however brewers continue to need sustained support and relief to compete and thrive in the new expanded retail marketplace.
Keeping the Promise of Craft Beer
In May the provincial government announced a 50% reduction to the Basic Beer Tax rate for microbrewers. This tax cut was a much-needed lifeline for our sector. Importantly, the government also committed to making several other important reforms to Ontario craft beer tax system in time for the 2026 tax year.
These future changes, including further lowering tax rates for the smallest brewers through a progressive tax structure and the elimination of the can tax and volume tax, are more important now than ever. We need to ensure that the government keeps its promise and makes these changes in next year’s budget.
The new campaign, which will run over the coming months, will be anchored by the informative website, www.craftbeerpromise.ca, which encourages craft beer lovers to use their collective voice to call on the government to honor the commitments they have made.
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