VICTORIA, British Columbia, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Canadian brewers in British Columbia oppose a proposal to tax alcoholic drinks depending on how high the alcohol content is.
The tax plan comes from the Center for Addictions Research at the University of Victoria. Advocates say that it would encourage drinkers to slow down and reduce the level of alcohol-related disease, the Vancouver Sun reports.
Rob Monk said that he and other craft brewers specialize in heavy strong-tasting brews that tend to have a higher alcohol content. His India Pale Ale, for example, is 7.1 percent alcohol, considerably above the Canadian standard of 5 percent.
"I'm not sure this is the direction we need to be going in Canada. It's not necessarily going to deter people from drinking more," Monk told the Sun. "The only people this is really going to affect are smaller brewers who make premium beers that tend to have a higher alcohol content. This isn't going to hurt Molson Coors. Ultimately, it wouldn't be a huge jump for them to get below whatever threshold is set."
