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Another shot has been fired in Canada’s struggle to eliminate the self-defeating barriers on trade erected by the provinces, and once again the focus is beer. Saskatoon’s Great Western Brewing Co. has announced it is taking Alberta to court, alleging that the province’s new beer markup scheme violates the constitutional protection of free inter-provincial trade.

The scheme taxes out-of-province craft beer at a significantly higher rate than craft beer brewed in Alberta, making the out-of-province beer significantly more expensive. (Technically the beers are all taxed at the same rate, but small Alberta brewers get major rebates on those taxes.)

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Great Western says the structure has already had a dramatic effect on its sales, which is little wonder given that the cost of a 24-case of Great Western beer went up $6.67 when the change took effect in the summer. The Saskatchewan brewery is not the first to take Alberta to court over beer protectionism. Toronto’s Steam Whistle Brewery won an injunction against the province in January, when Alberta was still including Saskatchewan and British Columbia — fellow members of the New West Partnership Agreement — in the lower markup club.