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The Kathleen Wynne government was pouring tax dollars into an individual brewery this past week even as her government makes buying beer more expensive for all Ontarians.

Ontario’s basic tax on beer went up 12 cents per case of 24 cans on March 1, with a 26 cent increase planned for Nov. 1, according to Beer Canada.

Also, the federal government has brought in an excise tax on beer that automatically bumps up the price every April 1 based on the rate of inflation.

And every time the provincial or federal government raises any taxes on beer, they both benefit as the HST goes up.

“So it’s a tax on tax compounding effect over time,” Luke Harford, president of Beer Canada, said Tuesday. “It’s out of control.”

Beer Canada is currently running an “Axe the Escalating Beer Tax” campaign to draw beer drinkers’ attention to the fact that 47% of what they pay goes to the government in taxes.Canadians know their taxes are high but are not familiar with just how high, Harford insisted.

“And it’s going up and up all the time,” he said. “It’s a tax that is imposed on the brewer and then passed on, and so the brewer adds that into its wholesale price and then the provincial government adds their provincial mark ups, plus GST, plus PST on top of that tax.”

This week, Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa said changes to the Small Beer Manufacturers’ Tax Credit in the 2018 budget would, if passed, support small breweries.

And on April 6, Economic Development Minister Steven Del Duca announced a grant of up to $1.3 million to Steam Whistle Brewery to help build a new facility in Etobicoke.