OTTAWA, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to respect the motion passed in Parliament to stop the alcohol tax hike set for April 1. 

“The only time members of Parliament got to vote on this tax hike, they overwhelmingly voted against it,” said Franco Terrazzano, Federal Director of the CTF. “MPs clearly want to see the alcohol tax hike scrapped in next Tuesday’s budget.”

Last night, MPs voted for the motion calling on the “government to cancel its April 1, 2023 tax increase on beer, wine and spirits.” 

The motion passed 170 to 149. The motion was sponsored by Official Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre and received unanimous support from Conservatives and New Democrats. All but one Bloc Québécois MP supported the motion. 

First passed in the 2017 federal budget, the alcohol escalator tax automatically increases excise taxes on beer, wine and spirits every year by the rate of inflation, without a vote in Parliament. Alcohol taxes are set to increase by 6.3 per cent on April 1.

Canadians already pay about half the price of beer in taxes. 

“Trudeau must listen to Canadians and MPs and cancel this undemocratic tax hike that will increase the cost of living when Canadians are struggling to stretch our paycheques,” Terrazzano said.