John Clerides, owner of Vancouver’s very popular Marquis Wine Cellars writes a manifesto of sorts on the tangle he (and all of us, really) is caught up in when it comes to dealing with our government-run BCLDB booze monopoly. Click here to read what led him to say:
There is no doubt in my mind that within a billion dollar organization better delivery of services, cost savings and other efficiencies can be achieved. The arrogance which comes with being the biggest (and a monopoly at that) is frightening, just ask GM. I can only sit back and ponder what if? What if I could offer more quality wines at fair prices to my customers? What if I were actually allowed to sell to restaurants? And the biggest what if, what if the regulator for my business wasn’t also my chief competitor? For my sake, and the sake of the wine enthusiasts of British Columbia, I would love to have those questions answered, or even better than answered, resolved.
(Thanks to Anthony of Farmstead Wines for pointing me toward this…)
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2 Responses:
August 21st, 2009 at 3:07 pm
As John aludes to, beer is even worse. Local craft distilleries are in a bad spot too, though most can sell into Alberta to cover the loss they take here. Nothing is likely to improve though, if anything taxes are likely to go up. The HST is proof of this.
August 24th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Spirits is still the worst at, I think, 164% tax. Even local distilleries have to pay that one. It really is a war on “interesting,” “artisanal” and “craft.”