moved for leave to introduce Bill C-266, an Act to amend the Excise Act and the Excise Act, 2001 (adjusted duties - beer, malt liquor, spirits and wine).
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce this bill in the House of Commons this morning. I thank the member for Kelowna—Lake Country for seconding my bill.
Tomorrow, the tax on beer, wine and spirits will go up automatically. This bill would repeal the automatic annual tax increase. This ever-increasing tax makes enjoying a beer with friends, or a bottle of wine with dinner, increasingly unaffordable for working Canadians during an inflation crisis, and it makes Canadian producers less able to compete internationally.
Perhaps worst of all is that the automatic escalator denies Parliament its most basic function. If the government wishes to raise taxes, it should be forced to ask Parliament, not just raise them automatically. Therefore, I hope members from all parties will support this bill and restore the power to raise taxes to Parliament, where it belongs.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)