麻豆影视

Skip to main content

Budget includes pocketbook promises on low-alcohol beer, vaping and menstrual products

Share

The federal budget contains several pocketbook initiatives including eliminating the 'sin' tax on low-alcohol beer, slapping one on vaping products, and making menstrual products more readily available for Canadians in need.

LOW-ALCOHOL BEER

As excise tax duties rose recently for alcohol products in Canada, the new budget proposes to get rid of this tax for low-alcohol beer 鈥 which is beer with no more than 0.5 per cent alcohol by volume.

At the moment, low-alcohol beer is subject to excise duty rates, while its low-alcohol wine and spirit counterparts are exempt.

鈥淭his will bring the tax treatment of low-alcohol beer into line with the treatment of wine and spirits with the same alcohol content, and make Canada鈥檚 practices consistent with those in other G7 countries,鈥 according to the federal budget document.

The announcement comes a week after the Conservatives and NDP advanced private members鈥 bills targeting the rising cost of beverages. Since 2017, excise duty taxes on beer, wine, spirits and other alcoholic beverages have increased automatically every year on April 1.

MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS

A Plan International Canada found that over one-third of women and girls in Canada had to make budgetary sacrifices鈥攅ither often or occasionally鈥攊n order to afford menstrual products.

In Budget 2022, the federal government outlined its plan to give $25 million for  鈥攁 government department previously known as Status of Women Canada鈥攖o start a pilot project aimed at making menstrual products available to Canadians in need.

鈥淎ccess to menstrual products is a basic necessity, but current barriers make it difficult for some women, girls, trans, and non-binary Canadians to fully participate in school, work, and society,鈥 the budget document reads.

The budget document estimates this program would cost a total of $25 million, with $6 million being spent in 2022-2023, and $19 million in 2023-2024.

Federal labour officials have heard repeatedly about lack of menstrual products in workplaces, with stakeholders telling the government about hygiene and health issues if workers turn to 鈥渦nsuitable improvised solutions鈥 or if they were to 鈥渆xtend the use of products beyond their recommended time frame,鈥 according to a briefing note by stakeholders sent to then-Labour Minister Filomena Tassi last year.

Tassi acknowledged then that menstrual products are 鈥渁 basic need for many Canadians, however they are often not treated as such." She added menstruation is 鈥渁 fact of life, and part of supporting the health and safety of employees."

VAPING PRODUCTS

The last budget announced the government鈥檚 intention to tax vaping products in an effort to curb the health risks they pose, especially to young people.

Budget 2022 says this excise duty鈥攁lso known as a sin tax that鈥檚 charged on goods like tobacco and alcohol products鈥攚ill come into effect on Oct. 1 of this year. The tax would amount to $1 for every 2 mL (or fraction thereof) for containers with less than 10 mL of vaping liquid.  For containers with more than 10 mL, the rate would be $5 for the first 10 mL and $1 for every additional 10mL (or fraction thereof).

So a 30 ml bottle of vaping liquid would be hit with an excise duty of $7.00 ($5.00 for the first 10 ml and $2.00 for the remaining 20 ml).

鈥淰aping rates among young people in Canada remain high, and the federal government recognizes the potential risks that vaping products post to them,鈥 says the 2022 federal budget document.

A Health Canada survey found 36 per cent of Canadians between the ages of 15 and 19 have tried vaping products. That number rises to 48 per cent for those between 20 and 24.

The budget document outlines projected revenues of $654 million over the next five years, with $69 million coming in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, after which revenues would increase to $145 million for the next three fiscal years. In 2026-2027, the government projects the tax would bring in $150 million.

The federal government also wants provinces and territories to team up to create a vaping taxation framework 鈥 under which an additional tax equal to the proposed federal rate would apply.  The revenues would be split 50/50 between the federal government and the provincial and territorial governments.

With files from CTVNews.ca鈥檚 Sarah Turnbull and the Canadian Press

Get in touch

What do you want to know about the budget? Email dotcom@bellmedia.ca.

  • Please include your name, location, and contact information if you are willing to speak to a journalist with 麻豆影视.
  • Your comments may be used in a CTVNews.ca story.

Collapse

IN DEPTH

Opinion

opinion

opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Why brain aging can vary dramatically between people

Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.

The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers association.

A man who was critically injured in a police-involved shooting in Hamilton late Sunday afternoon has died in hospital, says the province鈥檚 police watchdog.

opinion

opinion How to transition from renting to owning a home in Canada

In his column for CTVNews.ca, personal finance contributor Christopher Liew offers a step-by-step guide on how to make the shift from renting to becoming a homeowner, and what you can start doing today to help the process go smoother.

Local Spotlight

For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.

A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.

Stay Connected