Wineries want tax break

The wine industry in now a major player in the Okanagan but it says it needs a break.

That’s the message the president of the B.C. Wine Institute delivered at a federal panel’s pre-budget consultations in Kelowna Monday.

We’re asking for the federal government to consider a grant for the Canadian wine industry, specifically for us in B.C.,” said Miles Prodan, president of the B.C. Wine Institute.

Prodan said the B.C. Wine industry alone injects more than $2.5 billion into the economy and tax breaks would help smaller wineries get off the ground.

“We want to have our fair share and we think a tax credit is the way to go,” said Prodan.

Prodan said the institute is asking for a tax break worth $75 million over the next 10 years and that each winery could apply for up to $3 million in tax credits.

A tax break isn’t the only item the wine industry is asking for. The B.C. Wine Institute told the committee it wants to see interprovincial trade barriers eliminated so all wines can be sold without interference from provincial liquor control boards.

The recommendations could be part of the next federal budget early next year.