mistake, nor have they formalized a proper written policy regarding payment of remit on beer sold to PWSS! If those NS Craft Brew- eries that didn’t pay remit on PWSS sales over the last number of years were correctly never required to, and the NSLC’s subsequent insistence that newer breweries pay the remit on PWSS supplied beer was in error, doesn’t the NSLC owe the newer breweries their $0.50 per litre back? I can only assume the embarrassment over the incorrect administration of nonexistent policy has left the NSLC unwilling to address the issue with NS Craft Brewers, or with the public. Well, NSLC, say hello to the general public! 10. So this one is for the many great destination craft beer bars, pubs, and restaurants in Nova Scotia, to whom so many craft brewers owe their very existence. Why is there such a massive penalty tax on the importation of craft beer into Nova Scotia? Hasn’t the recent Supreme Court judgment in favour of Gerard Comeau’s legal importation of beer into New Brunswick from Quebec demonstrated that the Canadian Constitution provides for the tax free import/export of beer into one province from another? New Brunswick’s subsequent lowering of their beer prices so as to compete with cheaper beer in Quebec would seem to recognize this. I’m not saying charge nothing on the importation of other craft beer. Charge something fair. Like what you charge NS Craft Brewers, for example. An importer of a $200 keg of craft beer from Portland, Maine, or Quebec should not have to pay the NSLC $200 worth of taxes on that beer (approximate current rate). It’s clearly policy meant to prevent outside competition in our industry, and it should be abolished. We should welcome other great Craft Beer here. High tides float all boats! This is all so Peculiar, so hard to Fathom! In fact, it’s dow right Dirty and All Falc’d Up! I am done with all this Deception, and I refuse to say Uncle! It’s driving me Shack Wacky! Tell the provincial Government to move Full Steam ahead and support NS Craft Beer. This Honey Wagon has gone far enough! Vicar’s Cross your lucky North stars that the Knotty Buoys and girls with their hands on the Rudder of this Tall Ship we call our province do not inadvertently lead us down the path of Revolution! When it comes to innovative policy regarding Craft Beer, the province doesn’t know what the Hell Bay is going on! They should show some Class and strive to be the Burban Legend that leads us across the Iron Bridge to Canadian Craft Beer supremacy. In the interests of all Nova Scotians, they should take a Chimney Swift to these multinational Red Coats and beat them back from whence they came! NS Craft Beer is here to stay, and you all Bitter Get’er India! Bureaucratic complacency, political status quo, and archaic legislation are stifling the NS Craft Beer industry. Government MUST react quickly in support of good news stories as they occur. On December 20 th , 2016, shortly after White’s letter to the people of Nova Scotia, the province announced changes to the fee charged to craft brewers addressing one of the issue on White’s list (#6) which pushed the government’s efforts to level the playing field for Nova Scotia’s alcohol manufacturers. Premier Stephen McNeil announced that his government was changing the NSLC’s Retail Sales Mark-up Allocation (RSMA) charged to craft brewers from 50 cents per litre to 5 per cent of wholesale. This is a change that White and The Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia had been asking of the government for more than a year now to reduce. “Hey World, we’re the best Craft Beer jurisdiction in this great country of ours! Craft Beer junkies wanted!” In the announcement made at the Garrison Brewery in Halifax, McNeil said, “This was the recommendation from the entire industry.” Then McNeil went on to say that, “Really it was to bring it in line with the wine and spirits industry in the province, and for us, it’s about trying to treat people equally.” Emily Tipton, president of the Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia said at the time that this change would give brewers “a little bit more leeway to be able to reinvest in our businesses.” Nova Scotia is missing a chance here. A chance to say: “Hey World, we’re the best Craft Beer jurisdiction in this great country of ours! Craft Beer junkies wanted!”
The government says the change, effective April 2017, will put $800,000 back into the pockets of brewers. Tipton esti- mates savings of about $600,000.
In an interview after the announcement, Jennifer Gray, of NSLC, admits that there have been growing pains, but it’s a work in progress. “We continue to be committed to doing all we can to help local industry be successful. It’s a challenge to keep pace with the growth this sector is enjoying and it’s going to take some time for the policy and regulation to keep pace. We are confident we’ll get there – it will just take some time.” It is easy to see that there is lots of work to do as this industry is showing no signs of slowing down in Nova Scotia or else- where for that matter and all those working in the industry just want it to be fair for everyone in the business to grow and succeed, which is good for the brewers, their customers, the industry and the government.
59
AUGUST 2017 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker