Consumers have already been saddled with paying hundreds of millions of dollars in increased prices to support the Government's creeping privatizing scheme for the liquor Industry. In addition the Private Operators are provided free freight, extended trading hours and an almost exclusive right to market chilled products.
"Why then does the BC Government deem it necessary to provide the private stores an additional 3% discount totalling tens of millions annually. These millions are coming directly out of the Provincial Budget. What are we being deprived of to raise this multi million handout, hospital beds? knee replacements? Alcohol Rehabilitation?" asked Bruce Cran, the President of the Consumers' Association of Canada. "The Government promised benefits from competition. No advantages have developed to date" he added.
The operators of private liquor stores knew the rules and the discounts when they chose to enter the business and they have very quickly proliferated to outnumber their Government counterparts by more than double. The Consumers' Association urges the BC Government to reconsider dumping this unnecessary additional burden on to the backs of BC Consumers.

For further information: Bruce Cran, President, Consumers' Association of Canada, Tel (604) 418-8359