Quebec plans to put an end to stamps for microbrewery beers
The Quebec government wants to put an end to the stamping of microbrewery beers. This is a measure that small hop producers have long been calling for.
According to the microbreweries, the obligation to affix stamps to their cans and glass bottles is both unnecessary and time-consuming.
Quebec microbreweries association managing director Marie-Eve Myrand was jubilant after the minister presented his bill.
“We're really pleased with this abolition, which we've been calling for for several years. You can't minimise the impact on SMEs of having to manage a marking system like this,” she told The Canadian Press in an interview at the National Assembly on Wednesday.
Archaic
Since 1971, the law has required a duty stamp to be affixed to all beer sold in restaurants and bars. The original aim was to prevent smuggling and tax evasion.
“There have been a lot of changes in pricing, and the harmonization of prices meant that the stamp was becoming a bit archaic. Imagine an entrepreneur with three or four employees who has to devote a full-time job to affixing stickers to a container that, basically, no longer makes any sense in terms of taxation,” said Economy Minister Christopher Skeete, who is behind the bill to put an end to this measure.
Some microbreweries have recently been visited by police officers who have come to check that the labelling on the stamps complies with the law. Microbreweries that contravene the current law face fines of between $500 and $7,500. The minister was at pains to reassure, saying that a fined business could be forgiven.
“The police will have to analyze the appropriateness of proceeding, given the legislative changes,” he said.
Only microbreweries will be exempt from stamping under the government's new legislation. Big producers like Labatt and Molson will have to continue putting stamps on their cans and bottles.
Subcontracted delivery
The government also wants to allow small beer producers to subcontract their alcohol deliveries.
At the moment, it is necessary for each microbrewery to have its own delivery driver. The legislative change will allow several companies in the same region, for example, to use a single subcontractor to deliver all their products.
In addition to the measures for microbreweries, Minister Skeete's bill proposes a whole raft of measures to remove red tape from the shoulders of Quebec businesses.
“There are around thirty measures. The impact is estimated at $20 million (...) So it's really positive,” said François Vincent, Canadian Federation of Independent Business Quebec vice-president.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 4, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
N.Y. prosecutors charge Luigi Mangione with murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO, court records show
Late Monday, Manhattan prosecutors filed murder and other charges against Luigi Nicholas Mangione in the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, according to an online court docket.
Union dropped wage demand to 19% over four years in Canada Post negotiations: CUPW
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has reportedly dropped its wage demand to 19 per cent over four years, CUPW negotiator Jim Gallant told CTV News.
Taxpayer-funded Eras Tour tickets returned by federal minister
While tens of thousands of fans packed Vancouver's BC Place for the last shows of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour this weekend, a federal cabinet minister wasn't one of them.
Israel's Netanyahu takes the stand in long-running corruption trial
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand on Tuesday in his long-running trial for alleged corruption, setting off what's expected to be a weeks-long spectacle that will draw unwelcome attention to his legal woes as he faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes and the fighting in Gaza continues.
AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton to receive Nobel Prize in physics today
British Canadian computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton and co-laureate John Hopfield are set to receive their Nobel Prize for physics at a ceremony in Stockholm today.
What the upcoming holiday GST relief will mean for consumers
The federal government's GST break will arrive this Saturday, just in time for the last stretch of holiday shopping.
Katie Holmes refutes story about daughter Suri Cruise’s fortune
Katie Holmes has posted a screen grab of a Daily Mail article, which reported that her 18-year old daughter, whose father is Tom Cruise, is now a "millionaire."
Sudbury, Ont., family traumatized after hospital said loved one had been released, when in fact they had passed away
Sudbury resident Angela Vitiello says a staff member at Health Sciences North told her that her brother, Allan St. Martin, was released from the hospital late last month when, in fact, he had passed away.
Liberal government survives third Conservative non-confidence vote
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's latest attempt to topple the minority Liberal government in a non-confidence vote failed on Monday, thanks to the New Democrats.