Main Street Brewing has been in business in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant for over a decade, but the futures of this neighbourhood staple and craft breweries all around the province are in jeopardy due to financial constraints.
According to the BC Craft Brewers Guild, the current tax rate for production is unfair. Local brewers say they pay a heavier tax the more beer they produce, while larger, out-of-country conglomerates pay a flat rate.
“We are talking about the number one largest brewery in the world, the number five largest brewery in the world, and the number 24 largest brewery in the world, and they’re competing against our biggest members who are paying more in mark-up,” said guild executive director Ken Beattie.
“That makes no sense to us.”
After months of conversations with local governments, frustrations are coming to a head. Now, they are calling on the province to reform revenue tax on local breweries and follow in the footsteps of other provinces that have made similar changes.
“If we don’t act on this, you will see breweries close in this neighborhood,” said Cameron Forsyth, co-owner of Main Street Brewing.
“We have a solution, it’s plain and simple…it’s actually all been done for government to sign on the line and to make it happen.”
The Brewers Guild says just three breweries closed in B.C. from 2013 to 2024, compared to the 20 that have already closed this year.
Michael Lewis owned and operated Three Ranges Brewing Company — the only brewery in his community of Valemount, B.C. — for nearly 12 years.
Lewis says he had to close his doors because of production costs, as well as last year’s Jasper wildfire, which shut down parts of the highway, preventing tourists from visiting them.
He says the proposed tax revenue change could have saved his business.
“Had we had that two years ago, that would have been another $30,000 in our bank account that we could have used to provide more jobs and keep this place going and provide more to our community,” Lewis said.
As production costs rise with inflation and financial uncertainty looms with threats of tariffs from the U.S., many B.C. craft brewers fear their once-fresh future now looks flat.
