B.C. Solicitor General Rich Coleman is raising the price of alcohol by three per cent across the board, effective Feb. 1, to raise money for the province’s public safety programs and policing.
"I have some priorities in policing I want to achieve," Coleman told CBC. "We need revenue to deal with that.
"So in conjunction with my budget and the other ministers of government, we looked at it and felt it was something that was quite defensible."
The last government price increase, not driven by the market or manufacturers, was back in 1996.
The government expects the increase in prices to raise an extra $55 million a year.
A three per cent increase puts an alcohol purchase previously worth $20 up to $20.60.
