Dear editor,
I'd like to respond to the latest salvo from the Comox Valley Record's favourite letter writer, Anne Bauman, on the potential privatization of the Liquor Distribution Board of BC.
As expected, Ms. Bauman takes a linear view of the situation as simply a left/right political issue and fails to see the broader prospective from the public at large.
Caught in the middle of this public/private tug of war as always are the consumers of British Columbia who are forced to pay absolutely ridiculous prices for beer wine and spirits in our province.
As someone who has lived in both Alberta and British Columbia, it amazes me at the almost comedic apathy from the general public when it comes to price gouging by the monopoly of the Liquor Distribution Board. The exact same bottle of wine in B.C. can be marked up as much as 25 per cent compared to retailers in Alberta and the shocking aspect is that a sizable portion of the product is made right here in British Columbia!
Would local vintners not see a better return on their investment if antiquated taxes were repealed thus allowing their product to find it's way on to shelves across the country? Would the consumer not be better served by having choice on the products they purchase?
Would lower taxes on beer/wine not spur innovation and development of more micro-breweries and wineries in B.C. with the spinoff effect of further employment?
It is high time that the citizens of British Columbia demand the provincial government open up our liquor distribution systems to private enterprise, thus allowing for more choice, better service and
lower prices.
The last time I checked it is 2012 and not the mid-1950s. Outdated union protectionist theories such as those espoused by Ms. Bauman should be thrown on the scrap heap of history.
In an attempt to protect a few hundred union jobs, our current model is holding ransom the consumers of British Columbia and forcing each and every one of us to pay outlandish prices for alcohol.
Derek Costantino,
Comox